Zhang Yan: Into Africa

For veteran sports designer Zhang Yan, making running outfits for African athletes has been an exciting experience.

Last year, Li-Ning began to sponsor several famous athletes in Africa, including Ethiopian marathon star Ambesse Tolossa and the athletics teams of Tanzania and Sudan.

"I was very excited when I heard that I would be designing for African athletes," said Zhang, who developed the award ceremony clothing for the Chinese delegation at the 2004 Athens Games.

"I have never been to Africa but I have a very strong impression of their unique cultures and environment.

"When I first thought about the continent, a few elements came out: bright colors, wild animals, vast desert, strong sunshine and shining medals."

Zhang said the communication between the designers and the athletes has usually run smoothly.

"They have given us their ideas about the clothes, for example, asking if they can reflect the colors of their national flags," she said.

For Tanzanians, their sportswear should be yellow and green while the Sudanese prefer red and green.

"Designing the clothes for the marathon runners is the most challenging job as the sport needs very comfortable and supportive materials and designs."

Zhang also had to accommodate the longer limbs and slimmer bodies of the fat-free African athletes.

"They usually need smaller sizes than our Chinese athletes and we need to measure them carefully one by one."