According to ESPN, last week U.S. Speedskating renewed their contract with Under Armour. The new contract will see the apparel company providing uniforms through at least 2022. The announcement is significant following the United State’s disappointing results during the 2014 Winter Games, not medaling in the sport for the first time since 1984. Under Armour had designed high tech Mach 39 suits for the 2014 team in partnership with Lockheed Martin. Computer designed and exhaustedly tested in wind tunnels, they were billed as “the world’s fastest.” The struggling United States clearly placed blame on the suit when halfway through the Games they switched to an older uniform style.
A unique feature of the U.S. team’s Mach 39 suit was a vented panel on the back. It was this feature that the team blamed for their slow performance. Despite several athlete’s insistence that the uniforms were to blame, the U.S. Olympic Committee stated the problem was more than just the suits. Issues regarding funding woes, lack of staff, and training strategy have started to emerge. Is Under Armour a red herring for the U.S. team’s disappointing showing or was the uniform one among many issues plaguing the American team?
