KEY POINTS:
They may be ugly in some people's eyes, but swimming champion Moss Burmester loves his Crocs.
The black, clog-like footwear was unveiled last night as part of the New Zealand Olympic team uniform.
Although he hadn't owned a pair before last night, being "more of a jandal guy", the Commonwealth gold medallist told the Herald his Crocs were functional and comfy.
The uniform, designed by Levin company Kapinua, included a track suit, short and long sleeved T-shirts, casual shorts, a polo shirt, a blazer with either trousers or a skirt, sports tops, cap and sports socks.
The T-shirts are made from high-performance micro-fibre, which is designed to manage moisture, and New Zealand merino wool has been used in some garments.
"The range has been developed for the hot and humid conditions the team will encounter in China," Kapinua chief executive Andy Wynne said.
Many of the garments, which come in black or white, have three Chinese characters on them which mean "New Zealand".
Members of the Olympic team modelled the range at Villa Maria Estate in Mangere. The line-up included swimmers Burmester, Helen Norfolk and Dean Kent, hockey player Stacey Carr and rower Juliette Haigh.
"It's 100 days until the Olympic Games and we think that's a date and an occasion worth celebrating," Olympic Committee secretary-general Barry Maister said.
The committee presented the Lonsdale Cup for "the most outstanding contribution to Olympic or Commonwealth Games" to shotputter Valerie Vili for the second consecutive year.
The NZ Chinese Community presented the team with a stainless steel dragon sculpture which will displayed outside the Kiwi base in Beijing.
