THE Team Fiji march out uniform — launched in Suva last Saturday — was designed not only incorporating our registered colours with the international Olympic body, but of non-negotiable equal significance was the picture of a “real Fiji”.

And because the only time our national heroes are captured for the longest time on television is during the opening ceremony, it justified one of the strict criteria for designers to depict this uniqueness.

And as Team Fiji chef de mission Cathy Wong simply puts it: “No matter which part of the stadium that we are entering in or exiting from, we could see the (uniform) design from any angle.”

“The thing that we looked at is it must be Fijian, unique to Fiji; and you must be able to see the design at whichever angle that you’re looking at the athletes — whether it is from the side, from the left, from the right, from the front, from the back, the design must stand out.

“One of the reasons we looked at it this way was when you go to the Olympic Games, the time that Fiji is showcased the most is at the opening ceremony. That is when the whole world … the eyes will be on the athletes as they march in.

“So the whole world will actually be seeing this is Team Fiji so that is why we decided to go all out this year.”

Wong said because this was a historic year for Team Fiji, they decided that rather than going the traditional way that this opportunity opened up to Fijian designers.

The three chosen finalists modelled their pieces at an athlete’s forum, where all athletes from the 41 national sporting federations were invited to attend, after which they voted by secret ballot.

RAKO was the favourite.

Wong said of the three registered colours — black and white, and blue — Team Fiji would always go with the blue because of the present national flag colour.

The wave concept behind that blue — as far as RAKO was concerned — signified the Pacific, the ocean; and the slight tint of yellow showcased that the first country in the world to see the sun rise is in the Pacific.

The march out uniform will be worn by athletes and officials at the opening of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on August 5.

Fiji is fielding 10 sports — namely rugby 7s (men), rugby 7s (women), football, table tennis, archery, weightlifting, shooting, swimming, athletics, and boxing. Fiji is also represented in the Paralympics by athletics and table tennis.