Perhaps no athlete in the U.S. Olympic delegation is as familiar with the heat of a Japanese summer than Sakura Kokumai.

Making her Olympic debut in karate (women’s kata), Kokumai studied and worked in Japan prior to the Olympics, a decision that prompted her to move back to the United States and dedicate all of her time to training.

Before that, Kokumai wore a suit and boarded a Tokyo train every day.

“Warm is not even (the word),” Kokumai told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s very humid, very sticky, very hot.”

Temperature was a primary consideration Team USA Olympic outfitter Ralph Lauren accounted for as it designed the opening ceremony uniform, which was unveiled Wednesday. David Lauren, the company’s vice chairman of the board and chief brand and innovation officer, said the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) wanted to dress the athletes in blazers for the opening ceremony as a way to highlight the aspect of global ambassadorship.

a man wearing a hat: The back of the flag-bearer jacket to be worn during the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony.(Ralph Lauren) The back of the flag-bearer jacket to be worn during the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony.“Every time we’ve created an Olympic uniform, we know (the world is) looking to see, ‘What is America about?’” Lauren told USA TODAY Sports.

The jacket is similar to the uniform Kokumai wore every day to work — with an essential innovation for what could be the hottest Olympics on record.

Ralph Lauren is debuting its RL COOLING jacket, which includes a device that allows wearers to self-regulate the temperature.

The battery-powered device, located on the back of the neck, creates a cooling sensation that lasts, even in the most oppressive heat.

For Lauren, the challenge was creating something that celebrated American style and craftsmanship – a classic and smart look – while making sure athletes feel comfortable.

a man wearing a suit and tie: Ralph Lauren athlete Sakura Kokumai in the opening ceremony outfit.(Ralph Lauren) Ralph Lauren athlete Sakura Kokumai in the opening ceremony outfit.“I’m very excited to wear (the jacket),” Kokumai said.

In addition to the navy blazer (made from US-grown wool), the uniform includes a T-shirt, a printed scarf, shoes and – it’s still a pandemic – mask. All materials have an element of sustainability and environmentalism.

Daryl Homer wearing a suit and tie: Ralph Lauren athlete and Olympic fencer Daryl Homer in the opening ceremony uniform.(Ralph Lauren) Ralph Lauren athlete and Olympic fencer Daryl Homer in the opening ceremony uniform.That is also part of the inspiration behind the cooling jacket, Lauren said, a product that “looks like it could change the way we think.” A study from the U.S. Department of Energy suggested that personal, portable thermal management could one day reduce the reliance on mass-energy cooling systems, such as HVAC. The company first began exploring the technology ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where the Ralph Lauren Heated Jacket debuted.

How the cooling jacket works.“The way in which we dress,” Lauren said, “cannot only look great, but be great.

“We all have to become more conscious, that we can push the boundaries, that we can bring about innovation to solve problems in new ways.”

As the opening ceremony in Tokyo will be scaled back with only VIPs and no Japanese fans allowed, the flag-bearer’s jacket – colored white – will be the only  one equipped with the technology. Kokumai won’t be arriving in Tokyo until July 25, so she won’t be participating in the ceremony. No details have been released by Tokyo 2020 on how COVID protocols might further impact the ceremony.

All Team USA athletes will eventually receive a cooling jacket, however, and it  will eventually go on sale for the public.

 

  • Slide 1 of 21: Michael Johnson carries the American flag while taking his victory lap after winning the 200 meter final, setting a world record at 19:32 at the Olympic Stadium in Atlanta. Johnson won the 200 and 400 at the same games, the only person to complete the double.
  • Slide 2 of 21: USA's Abbey D'Agostino is helped by Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand during the women's 5000 meter preliminaries in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games. During the race Hamblin fell with D'Agostino close behind taking her down also, D'Agostino awkwardly twisting her leg. Hamblin stopped to help D'Agostino up, one of the great moments in sportsmanship, and both finished the race, each allowed to compete in the final despite finishing outside the limit. D'Agostino did not compete in the final because of her injuries.
  • Slide 3 of 21: During the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos took the medal stand and raised a black-gloved fist during the playing of the national anthem. Smith had just won gold and set a world record of 19.83 seconds in the 200-meter dash. Carlos won bronze and to their right on the medal stand was Australian sprinter Peter Norman with silver.
  • Slide 4 of 21: Bob Beamon of the USA breaks the Long Jump World Record during the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. Beamon long jumped 29 ft 2 1/2 in, winning the gold medal and setting a new world record. It is the first jump over 28 ft. While the middle distance runners from the low level countries floundered in the thin air of Mexico City, those in the explosive events reached new peaks, none higher than Beamon, who added almost 23 inches to the world record with a jump. In Imperial measure terms it looked even more impressive since he missed out 28 feet, taking the record to 29 ft 2 ins. It was twelve years before anyone else reached 28 feet and the record stood until 1991 when Mike Powell of the US leapt 29.3 feet in Tokyo to win the world title.