Now Team GB's Union Jack has gone woke: Fury over 'diverse' pink and purple ... trends now
Team GB's 'diverse' rebrand of the Union Jack — incorporating pink and purple colours — has been met with backlash from sports fans and football legend Peter Shilton CBE.
It comes as a similar row broke out after the launch of England's new kit for the Euros 2024, which featured an altered version of the St George's cross on the collar.
Designers for Team GB, Bath-based agency Thisaway, said they needed to find a way to 'refresh' the colour palette in a way that was both 'flexible and ownable'.
A statement on their website said that although the red, white and blue colours were 'synonymous with Great Britain', they were 'far from unique'.
Former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton CBE has shared his disappointment at the new design.
He told The Sun: 'It feels that nothing is held sacred these days in the UK. Our national flag has been symbolic for many years and should never be changed.'
Team GB's rebrand of the Union Jack colours, opting for pink and purple, has been met with backlash from sports fans
Great Britain's Tom Daley (left) and Matty Lee celebrate winning gold on the third day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan, as they hold a GB flag in the traditional colours
Malcom Farrow, president of the Flag Institute charity, said he didn't 'approve' of the 'national symbol of unity' being 'defaced'.
The full statement on the Thisaway website reads: 'As with many sport brands, colour was a point of contention. Obviously red, white and blue is synonymous with Great Britain, but it's far from unique, with other competing nations such as France and USA also sporting the same colours.
'We needed to find a way of refreshing Team GB's colour palette in a way that is both flexible and ownable.
'Rather than trying to look beyond the traditional colours, we decided to embrace them and push the iconic red white and blue as far as we could.
'The result is a vibrant and varied colour palette that has the versatility to be restrained and traditional in one breath, and bold and contemporary in the next.
'The core palette is also complimented by the three other colours that go hand-in-hand with the Olympic Games; gold silver and bronze.'
Team GB said they had received 'very positive' feedback from members of the public
