Canada unveils athletes' uniforms for Beijing Olympics

OTTAWA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Canada on Wednesday unveiled athletes' uniform for the Beijing Olympics, which are made of eco-friendly fabrics and decorated with a fusion of Canadian and Chinese symbols.

The red and white uniforms are made from environmentally friendly fabrics such as bamboo and organic cotton. They also contain super-light material that will help the athletes stay cool during the expected high temperatures in Beijing.

In designing, the number '8' is the most important element to be used, said fashion director Suzanne Timmins from Hudson's Bay Company, which is in charge of the design.

"Eight is a lucky number for the Chinese people, and a lot of people don't know that on the eighth day, of the eighth month, in the year 2008, on the eighth hour, in the eighth minute, maybe on the eighth second, the Games begin," he said.

Designers also designed another element for the gear, called a B-Tube, which is a sun-blocking polyester tube can be worn as a head cover, hair band or mask to filter out the dirty particles in the air.