SECURITY fears are spoiling the countdown to the Commonwealth Games in India, and Australian athletes are facing a familiar row at home, too - the team uniform. Swimmer Leisel Jones loves the grey suits with brightly coloured shirts, but fashion designer George Gross described the ensembles as "blah" and "gaga".Four weeks before the start of competition, the Aussie athletes' official outfits, by Table Eight Corporate, were unveiled yesterday on the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week catwalk.
Mr Gross said he wished organisers would "do something new" for a change.
"I suppose the Indian has prompted the designers to go gaga with the shirt colours," Mr Gross said.
"They would have been better off leaving the vivid colours to the host nation - they do it so much better. Don't mind the grey/khaki base colour, but the women's suit is a bit blah in both design and fit.
"White shirts with the grey/khaki would look cleaner and sharper in that glorious sunshine in India. The colours of the sport uniforms are no doubt dictated by tradition, but I so wish we could do something new."
Gone is the retro green and gold combination for when athletes march into Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Delhi, replaced by lightweight grey cotton suits, with emerald shirts for the women, and orange for the men.
Athletes will wear bright blue and yellow polo T-shirts, with pants or tailored shorts for official functions, and in competition the traditional wattle gold and green.
Top breastroker Jones, one of Australia's great hopes in the pool, said the national outfits were cool and flattering.
"The skirt is really gorgeous. It's a great shape, so, I love it," Jones said. "It's very hard to work with green and gold to make it look good, but this is actually a really good shade of green, and I think the boys will be happy with orange. It is a bit of a difference. I think it will be nice."
Australian Commonwealth Games chief Perry Crosswhite said officials were monitoring final preparations in Delhi.
"At this stage we believe it will be ready and the security will be acceptable," he said.
