Matching uniforms are the buzzword at the Olympics, and each nation meticulously chooses its colour and design to showcase its nationalistic pride. But Great Britain went a step further and issued matching luggage to all its athletes—900 identical red bags.
It might have seemed like a good idea on paper but it led to utter chaos when the entire Team GB landed at London on the same day at the same time.
It took most of the 320 British athletes about 2 hours to sift through the sea of bright red bags at Heathrow Airport.
And some of them took a break from the arduous task to keep us entertained.
Baggage collection could be interesting. #samesame #greattobeBAck pic.twitter.com/2ujPkLxmL1
— Team GB (@TeamGB) August 23, 2016
The athletes sure deserve a gold medal for finding their bags in this sea of red.
OMGSHHHH 😱😂 pic.twitter.com/PofNEM3RXj
— Becky Downie (@Bdownie) August 23, 2016
Rowing champ Alex Gregory needed a bit of help.
Anyone seen my red bag? @TeamGB #Olympics pic.twitter.com/R7NvpH1zrV
— Alex Gregory (@AlexGregoryGB) August 23, 2016
His compatriot thought this task was more daunting than the Olympics!
Finding my bag could prove more challenging than the racing #greattobeBAck @TeamGB pic.twitter.com/SyzXO153KU
— Matt Langridge (@matt_langridge8) August 23, 2016
Some athletes showed their more sporting sides, injecting a bit of humour in an otherwise harrowing situation.
Mine’s the red one!! pic.twitter.com/Z68nxrDyJ6
— Nick Dempsey (@nickdempsey1) August 23, 2016
Carnage! pic.twitter.com/3ql8WQCkIQ
— 470 Girls (@470Girls) August 23, 2016
Seems like the Olympic dream sure turned into baggage claim nightmare for the athletes.
Well, for next time, here’s a tip from all Indians: tie your own dhaaga or ribbon on your suitcase!