In July Consumers Will See Iconic Track and Field Uniforms for
Beijing
EUGENE, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 1, 2008--Nike (NYSE:NKE)
athletes, including Lauryn Williams, premiered Nike's USA Track and
Field (USATF) uniforms, which will be worn by members of the 2008
Olympic Team for Track & Field, before a sold-out crowd of 20,000 fans
at the University of Oregon's historic Hayward Field during the U.S.
Track and Field Olympic Trials.
Nike was born in Eugene, Ore. and first introduced its iconic
Swoosh on Hayward Field at the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials. Over 30 years
and hundreds of medals later, Nike continues to innovate for the
world's top athletes.
Nike's USATF uniforms feature new Nike Swift materials, reducing
weight to achieve less drag and faster times, and also include Nike
Aerographics and the We the People graphic. With seven percent less
drag than the Athens version, wearing the new Nike Swift Suit
translates to a benefit of about .02 of a second in the 100m.
Nike Swift System of Dress
The Nike Swift System of Dress lets athletes customize what
they're wearing while increasing aerodynamic advantages on key parts
of the body. Socks, gloves and arm coverings -- an entire system of
dress -- were developed by Nike so sprinters could run faster. For
example, the Nike Swift gloves and arm coverings have dimpled fabrics
like a golf ball to cut wind resistance and allow arms to slice
through the air faster. In testing, the design team found that
compared with bare skin, the gloves and arm coverings reduce drag by
19 percent and the socks by 12.5 percent.
Our new innovations are truly game changing and industry
defining. It is the lightest footwear and apparel we've ever created,
said Sean McDowell, Nike's Footwear Design Director. The world's top
Nike athletes are wearing Flywire technology at the trials because
they want gold.
The difference between making the team and not making the team
comes down to mere hundredths of a second, said U.S. Olympic
Committee Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr. Nike's ability to
deliver ground-breaking apparel and footwear with cutting-edge
technology has been incredible. We are proud to have worked so closely
with Nike to develop this amazing, innovative and eye-catching Olympic
collection.
Nike Track and Field Footwear
The uniform also features footwear with Nike's industry-leading
new Flywire technology. Nike athletes Kara Goucher and Bernard Lagat
will perform in the Zoom Matumbo, Nike's lightest distance track
spike. Lagat will also wear the Zoom Victory Spike, currently Nike's
lightest middle distance track spike. Both shoes are lighter than
Michael Johnson's famed gold spikes from the 1996 Olympic Games in
Atlanta.
For the first time, Nike is making more athlete innovations
available to consumers with footwear such as: The LunaRacer+,
LunarTrainer+, Zoom Victory+, Zoom Matumbo and Zoom Victory Spike.
Now, every runner can benefit from Nike's Flywire and Lunarlite
technology. This footwear is available to consumers beginning in July
and rolling out through October, 2008.
About Nike
NIKE, Inc., based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading
designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear,
apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and
fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse
Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear,
apparel and accessories; Cole Haan Holdings Incorporated, which
designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories
and coats; Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global football
(soccer) brand; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets
and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel
and accessories. For more information, visit www.nikebiz.com.
MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE:
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5721979
CONTACT: NIKE, Inc.
New York Media Relations, 212-367-4447
SOURCE: NIKE, Inc.