Olympics opening ceremony suit "like something out of an Elvis tribute band"

The Athletes Village will be a Heartbreak Hotel of sorts for thousands of unlucky Olympians this summer, but some TeamGB members, possibly in more ways than one.

Their opening ceremony parade suits, which will not be revealed until the day itself, according to one team member who has been kitted out this week at the TeamGB preparation camp at Loughborough, "look like something out of an Elvis tribute band."

White, with a lot of gold, is apparently the motif of the Next-designed suits, which form two of around 70 pieces of kit each athlete receives. The casualwear and performancewear having been designed by Stella McCartney for Adidas, the suits and formal wear by Next.

The athletes seem to like the kit, which is a relief at least, because if they are clocked on the Olympic Park wearing anything other than it, they will take their first step on the disciplinary ladder, which can escalate right to the head of the TeamGB boss Andy Hunt.

When athletes arrive for the kitting out, they are all played a highly secretive video of 'Clive’s Commandments', made by Sir Clive Woodward, the former England rugby coach and TeamGB deputy chef de mission. “The price of greatness is responsibility...” it begins, but the rest is a secret. Sir Clive was aggrieved in Beijing to see TeamGB members walking around in their casuals. They won’t be doing it again.