2020 Olympics Guidelines Ban Three Stripes & Many Other Things Of Football Kits

In less than two weeks, the football tournament at the 2020 Summer Olympics (21 July to 7 August 2021) will kick off. However, the football jerseys worn in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will look different to those you are used to.

2020 Olympics Football Kit Regulations

There are two uniform regulations that teams have to comply in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics football tournament - first, the FIFA Equipment Regulations that have been adjusted for the Olympics. Second, the special regulations of the IOC, called "Guidelines Regarding Authorised Identifications Games of the XXXII Olympiad Tokyo 2020".

Headphones and other gear must be free of any manufacturer logos

Only One Manufacturer Identification Per Item

The 2020 Olympics branding regulations only allow one manufacturer logo and one Product Technology Identification. This means Adidas is not allowed to have the Three Stripes on the kits, and Puma can not place their logo on the sleeves.

Japan regular vs Olympics kit

The size of an Identification of the Manufacturer shall not exceed 30cm2 for Clothing. The Product Technology Identification shall not exceed 10cm2.

"Third Party" Identifications Are Forbidden

No third party reference or name, including the names or nicknames of participants or any other persons, designation, trademark, logo, corporate design or colour scheme or any other distinctive sign (whether direct or indirect, such as QR codes or barcodes) may appear on any Item.

teams are not allowed to use the football federation logo

This means teams are not able to have their usual federation crest, which is regarded as "third party". All "Third Party Identifications" are forbidden.

Many Items Must Remain Unbranded

What is also special to the Olympics is that many items must be free of any brandings.

The following Items may not feature any Identification of the Manufacturer: headphones, water bottles, coolers, umbrellas, towels, bandages (i.e. kinesio tape), contact lenses, earplugs, mouth guards, nose clips, face masks and face shields.

No Political Messages or Slogans

The Olympics regulations do also not allow any text from the national anthems to feature on uniforms. Ukraine's Euro 2020 kit featured some parts of the national anthem (allowed by UEFA) and a message regarded as political slogan (banned by UEFA).

What do you think of the IOC not allowing more than one manufacturer logo? Comment below.