Team GB puts surplus Olympic kit on resale platform to support foundation

Team GB is opening another route for surplus Olympic clothing to reach the public through a partnership with resale platform Kitround. BBC Sport reported on Monday that the initial release involves 700 items from Paris 2024, with the scheme supporting the Team GB Foundation, the British Olympic Association's charitable arm.

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Kitround announced its official Team GB collection on 2 October, offering clothing of the same kind supplied to athletes and support staff at the Paris Games. Its launch announcement listed training tops, jackets, T-shirts, shorts, hoodies and trainers, with prices starting at £15. The company said 50% of the proceeds would go directly to the foundation.

The retailer also said it would measure the environmental and social impact of each sale through its own kitround360 index. The company describes the proprietary system as a way for customers to understand the effect of buying sportswear through its platform. Additional Team GB products were planned for the weeks following the launch, expanding the selection available to supporters.

BBC Sport's report described unworn clothing from both Paris 2024 and Milan Cortina 2026 stored in a warehouse on England's south coast. Items included garments made for opening ceremonies. The wider problem is not simply damaged or obsolete sportswear: commercial agreements can restrict how otherwise usable kit is redistributed, while orders placed before athlete selection can produce surplus stock.

Jen Rouse, the foundation's managing director, told the BBC that ordering was becoming more accurate and surplus quantities were falling. Team GB is considering clothing without dates or event names so it could remain usable across Olympic cycles, alongside possible arrangements for athletes to return unwanted garments. Rouse also disputed the suggestion that previous excess stock had simply remained unused.

In Kitround's announcement, Rouse linked the partnership to the foundation's work encouraging young people to become more active, as well as environmental sustainability and more affordable sportswear. Co-founder Adam Stevens similarly identified youth participation as a purpose of the proceeds. The arrangement therefore combines the resale of existing team clothing with funding for the foundation, rather than presenting the collection solely as Olympic memorabilia.