Long braids, cornrows, wavy, messy, faux hawk, buzz cut, crew cut, dimensional shag, versatile cut – you name it and you will find it at the Games Village. But the hairstyles turning the most heads are the home-grown ones that the athletes have designed for themselves.
“It took me three hours to get my hair done this way and I am loving it. My hair represents the colours of my country. It is the colour of the Malawi flag – red, black and green. I am happy that it’s getting people’s attention around here,” said Beatrice Mwanyali, the 17-year-old table tennis player from Malawi.
Then there is the gentleman with long braids who loves his hair to an extreme. “Everybody has developed their own style of haircut and I love this. I have taken a lot of pains to keep it like this and I quite like it this way,” said Maynard from Wales.
Similarly, an official from Barbados is quite possessive about his hair, as it took him 20 long years to grow it the way it is now. “I am happy that you all like my hairstyle. But let me tell you, this is not a day’s job. I have been growing and maintaining it for the last 20 years. So it’s a lot of hard work,” said the Barbadian.
Many could be spotted with an arch cut, in which the space above the ear is outlined with clippers, while many others have gone bald, which is a popular cut among the athletes. “This also suits the weather here,” said many.
Others could be spotted with a bowl cut, while many have a brush cut, in which the sides and back are cut as for a crew cut.
Busy days at the salon
Speaking about the rush, the manager of the beauty salon at the Games Village said they had lost count of the sportspeople who had come in for funky and trendy haircuts. “The athletes are coming from all countries. However, the numbers from Canada, England and Nigeria have been higher,” said the manager, adding that most athletes wanted a hairstyle they had designed themselves.
“They mostly come here with a haircut already designed. They show us the design and we cut it accordingly. They also ask for their hair to be coloured in their national flag’s colours. Just a couple of days ago, we had one athlete who had his hair cut in a zigzag pattern,” she added.
Courtesy: Village News
By Rakesh Jha
Indian Sports News
