A Uni Watch Look at the 2024 Olympics Men’s Volleyball

[Editor’s Note: As part of Uni Watch’s ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics coverage, today we have a guest piece by Greyson Roberts, who is taking a VERY in-depth look at the uniforms of the Men’s Volleyball tournament. Enjoy! — PH]

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Men’s 2024 Paris Olympic Volleyball
by Greyson Roberts

Men’s Volleyball at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris is shaping up to be a doozy, with 11 of the top 12 teams in the world rankings represented. 19th-ranked Egypt battled as well, as each continent’s top-ranked nation was guaranteed a slot at the Games. (Of note, rankings have fluctuated as the games have gone on.)

As noted in IOC uniform guidelines, there shall be no advertisements outside of manufacturer logos on any uniforms. This makes for a nice visual change for many countries, as advertising is all too common in international volleyball. It also means that some of the uniforms will appear slightly different at the Olympics than they have in the Volleyball Nations League and Volleyball Challenger Cup competitions, as ads are fine on jerseys in those competitions. Some countries, like Japan, Germany, and Egypt, have simply imported their VNL uniforms but removed the advertisements. Other countries, like France, Brazil, and the United States, have chosen to break out entirely new uniform sets for the Games.

Here are some uni-notable tidbits before we dive in. Although there will be a wide range of manufacturers represented at these Games, common uniform elements between all teams are a national flag on the left chest and manufacturer mark on the right chest, as well as numbers on the right leg of the shorts. Some teams will sport two uniforms, while others will bring three options to Paris. If you are unfamiliar with volleyball, you may notice one player on the court wearing a different-colored jersey: that’s the libero! They are a passing specialist that may freely substitute for players, typically middle blockers, that are not as adept at passing in the back row. The different-colored jersey allows the referees to easily keep track of rotations and substitutions. You may also notice that one player has a small underline beneath the number on their jersey: that’s the captain! Captains are designated on-court by this 2 x 8 cm line on their jersey.

With all that info, let’s now take a look at all the uniforms teams are wearing in the Olympics! We’ll go pool by pool.

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Pool A

FRANCE

Host nation France were supremely confident heading into the Paris Games. Prior to the 2020 (or ’21) Olympics, France had never finished higher than 8th. However, France are not only the defending Olympic Gold medalists, but also fresh off a Volleyball Nations League title last month. The French are wearing three different brand-new uniforms manufactured by the French sportswear company Le Coq Sportif, which will come in primarily red, blue, and white. The jerseys are sleeved and contain heavy sublimated shading. Each of the dark jerseys fade to white and have dark side panels. The white uniforms have no color fade but do have contrasting side piping with one side having a red fade and the other a blue fade. Each jersey is paired with shorts matching the prevailing jersey color with matching fading piping. In addition, the number font is much thicker than most in the field. These new uniforms may not be at the top of everyone’s rankings, but they are a fun entry from the host nation nonetheless.

Blue

Red

White

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SLOVENIA

The Slovenian men’s team, despite being ranked #3 in the world, is making their Olympic debut! They came to Paris in great form, having actually earned the #1 seed in the VNL tournament with only one round-robin loss before faltering in the semifinal against Japan. They then turned that into first place in Pool A. Despite their red, white, and blue flag, Slovenian national teams typically wear light blue, royal blue, and light green. They’ll be bringing that unique, original UFL-esque color scheme to the court in Paris as well. Outfitted by ninesquared, an Italian sportswear company, the Slovenian uniforms feature a sublimated mountain design made up of angled lines and chevrons. The effect is slightly broken up on the darker jerseys by a white side panel, but it doesn’t really affect the white jersey. While they come in primarily blue, primarily white, and a blue-green fade, the team only wore the blue and white uniforms in pool play. However, their libero did sport a green jersey, so we get to sneak a peek in case they don’t wear it by the end of the tournament. Here’s hoping they do, because I personally prefer them to the blue ones.

Blue

White and Blue/Green

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SERBIA

Serbia came to Paris knowing they’d likely need an upset to make the quarterfinal round. While they ultimately bowed out in pool play, they did make the effort to wear all three of their uniforms across their pool matches. The three sleeveless uniforms, created by Chinese brand Peak Sport Products, are fairly basic from a distance. They come in red, white, and blue, each with thin piping down the side made to look like the Serbian flag. Unfortunately, it only looks that way on the blue uniforms since the blue stripe is in the middle. Up close, you will also notice a subtle geometric fan-like pattern on each.

Blue

Red

White

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CANADA

Another of the four teams not to advance past the pool play stage, Canada did not have the Olympics they were hoping for. However, they did show up to Paris in two stylish, very Canadian uniforms. For the Canadians, Mizuno prepared two primary uniforms with a sublimated giant maple leaf design and a Blue Jays-esque number font. The subtle two-tone red jersey made it harder to see the sublimation than the black and grey version. The Canadians also made the unconventional choice of having a team crest on the right chest rather than the flag, which is rendered only on the rear of the jersey above the name. Both jerseys were paired with black shorts.

Red

Black

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Pool B

POLAND

The current World #1 look to win gold for the first time since 1976 despite coming off a VNL semifinal loss to eventual champions France and a 5-set friendly loss to Japan. Poland will take the court in, as expected, primarily red and white uniforms, mirroring their two-tone flag. Outfitted by Adidas, they feature brand new simple sleeved red tops and white tops, each with a contrasting collar. They do not, however, feature the signature Adidas three stripes on the sleeves or shorts. Contrary to most volleyball uniforms, these feature no sublimation. Trust me, I zoomed in on so many pictures looking for even the slightest hint of a pattern. Both uniforms are paired with red shorts and feature a script that appears to be going for a “handwritten” look. They are easily the most simple uniforms in Paris, but they look sharp.

Red

White

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ITALY

The Italians entered the Olympic Games as the #3 team in the world and have since risen to #2. Though one of the most successful teams in international men’s volleyball, Italy have yet to take Olympic gold, earning silver and bronze three times apiece. The Italians will wear three uniforms: two of them featuring the traditional Italian colors of blue and white, with the third an odd anthracite and gold combination. Outfitted by Italian sportswear manufacturer Errea, all uniforms are sleeveless, featuring gold accents and side striping with the green, white, and red stripes of the national flag sandwiched inside the gold piping on both the jerseys and shorts. The sublimated geometric design is easiest seen on the anthracite and gold unis, but is present on the others as well. The white uniforms have thus far only been worn by the libero. Although the anthracite jersey is useless and would have been better left at home, at least none of these uniforms have a giant yellow DHL stripe across the chest like they do in other international competitions!

Blue

Anthracite

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BRAZIL

Brazil looks to build on a tradition of Olympic success at these games, having won gold three times, most recently as the host nation at the 2016 Rio games. Brazil, despite being a dangerous team with premier athletes abound, was an underdog in this pool. They did sneak through, however, and will meet the United States in the quarterfinals. Outfitted by Brazilian brand Body Work, these uniforms buck Brazilian tradition a bit by toning down the bright and vibrant colors usually associated with Brazilian sporting teams. Their yellow jerseys, which have been worn in each of their matches thus far in the tournament, have a navy patterned collar…like…a real collar! The jerseys also have a sublimated linear diamond design across the chest and a number font that evokes the 1968 Mexico Olympic font. While only worn by the libero so far, they also have a lighter blue jersey and a white jersey, each with the same pattern. All jerseys are paired with navy shorts. The Brazilians have ditched their VNL jerseys with BAD shoulder yokes for these very nice looking togs, so I consider that a huge upgrade.

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EGYPT

The Egyptians entered the Paris Games as the lowest-ranked of all teams, having slotted in at World #19. This was their sixth Olympic Games, having never advanced beyond the group stage. Unlike the rest of the 11 competing nations, Egypt did not participate in the Volleyball Nations League. They instead took third place in the Volleyball Challenger Cup, an international league also sanctioned by FIVB but not at the uppermost echelon that the VNL is. They will be playing in very basic Adidas template uniforms, one rendered in white with black shorts, and one rendered in all navy blue. The jerseys each have a very subtle sublimated pattern that looks to my eye similar to snakeskin. In my research of national colors, I couldn’t find any connection between navy blue and Egypt, whose flag is red, white, and black with a gold eagle. If any reader is aware, please let me know!

White

Navy

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Pool C

JAPAN

One of the most fun teams in the tournament, Japan entered the Olympics coming off a runner-up finish in the 2024 Volleyball Nations League. Japan, outfitted by Asics, has three different uniform options: black, white, and red. Each uniform has a sublimated chevron design on the front stemming from the bottom left corner where the chevrons are a contrasting color. Each uniform also has gold-accented numbers as well as a gold-trimmed flag patch. The black and white jerseys are paired with plain black shorts, and the red with red. So far, the black uniform has only been worn by the libero. These are my personal favorite unis in the tournament, as well as my favorite team to watch. I’m glad they juuuust snuck into the quarterfinals.

Red

White

Black

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UNITED STATES

Three-time gold medalist US National team came into the Olympics on shaky footing, having finished behind every other team in Pool C in a dismal 12th in the VNL. However, the Americans have proceeded to blitz through a tough Pool C to secure the #2 seed headed into quarterfinal play. Team USA has two uniform options, both outfitted by Mizuno. The jerseys are sleeveless and come in a predictable red and (navy) blue, each with a sublimated arrow/chevron/triangle pattern at the bottom that fades as it rises and a truncated stripe pattern on the side with stars inside. The red jerseys are paired with red shorts, while navy jerseys are paired with navy shorts. Typically, the Americans also have a white jersey paired with navy shorts. If such a jersey exists, however, it has not surfaced yet either on the team at-large or on libero Erik Shoji.

Blue

Red

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ARGENTINA

Hyper-athletic Argentina arrived in Paris with high hopes and fun uniforms. They left after pool play with dashed hopes and…still fun uniforms! Outfitted by Le Coq Sportif, a company based in France, the team used three uniforms. The black and white jerseys each have a sublimated sky blue striping pattern, but it is more pronounced on the black. The pattern is also found on the back, but is upside down. Oddly, the third jerseys also have blue and white stripes, but they are more pronounced and cover the entire jersey. The white striped jerseys are paired with sky blue striped shorts, while the black and third jerseys are accompanied by black shorts with sky blue stripes. These uniforms will likely divide the masses here on Uni Watch, but they are certainly vibrant!

White

Black

Third

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GERMANY

As the second-lowest ranked team in the field entering the Olympics, Germany were upset-minded as they began play in Paris. Their mindset paid off, as they advanced as the Pool C two-seed. The Germans have three primary uniforms supplied by Kempa, a subsidiary brand of German sports manufacturer Uhlsport typically specializing in handball. What an oddity! Nevertheless, the Germans will look relatively nice, with three uniforms rendered in an identical template with a sublimated geometric design on the chest. Jerseys come in red, black, and white, each with contrasting sleeves. Simple black shorts accompany every jersey. The Germans are the second squad, along with Canada, that are using a seal on the right chest rather than a flag. This was a bit unexpected, as they wore the exact same jerseys in the VNL except with the German flag instead of the eagle crest.

Black

White

Red

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Thanks, Greyson! Really well done and thorough coverage!!!

Readers, what do you think of this year’s crop of Olympic Volleyball kits?