It's Adidas Vs. Nike in the Battle of the Athlete-Only Winter Olympics Gear

[Jeremy] The 2026 Winter Olympics

will see extremely advanced heat and recovery tech be worn

by some of the world's best athletes

and for at least a few hours in the Wired office,

me as well.

First up, we have these limited edition versions

of Hyperice's Normatec Elite Compression Boots.

Made in collaboration with Nike ACG,

these will be sported by Team USA athletes

and other competitors while in transit to and at the games.

How do they work?

Well, compression can help limit inflammation

and fluid build-up in tissue,

so wearing these is popular for recovery among athletes.

Along with muscle stabilization

to reduce fatigue and micro tears, gradual,

and eventually quite intense,

pressure helps push blood back towards your heart,

fighting against gravity.

This reduces blood pooling in your legs during

and after exercise, strenuous or otherwise.

Like them?

These bright orange ones are not for retail,

but you can pick up standard black Normatec Elites

for a thousand bucks.

Adidas doesn't want Nike to walk off with all the tech

or style glory in Milan, however.

This is Adidas's Climawarm System,

a pre-warming suit with a built-in smart-heating unit

to keep athletes' muscles fired up in the crucial moments

before their event, even in extreme cold.

Or in my case,

being incredibly hot and uncomfortable in a heated office.

The entire outfit uses integrated,

ultra-thin Clim8 heating pads,

strategically placed on major power muscle groups,

helping to reduce heat loss during warmup

and waiting periods,

while a built-in safety mechanism

supposedly prevents overheating.

The Adidas jacket and pants are made

using a low bulk performance-tuned fabric

that allows for all manner of Olympic-related activity,

such as sprinting, gliding, and lunging.

They're also not available for retail though.

Just for athletes.

So who takes the gold?

Since Nike is merely speccing the bright orange colorway

here on the Hyperice price boots,

on this occasion, we're inclined to give the medal to Adidas

for bringing its fabric and design game to Milano Cortina.