Indian women athletes will not be wearing the often-seen combination of saree and blazer at the opening ceremony of the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. They will, instead, be wearing trousers with the India blazer, similar to the men, according to a report in The Indian Express.

The Indian Olympic Association took the call that the entire Indian contingent will wear a uniform outfit of navy blue blazers and trousers.The reason to do away with the saree was to do with the comfort factor, based on feedback they have received.

“We received feedback that wearing a sari for such a long time isn’t convenient for the athletes. Opening ceremonies usually carry on for four-five hours. Also, they need help to wear it, which complicates things for them. So we have decided that men and women will wear similar clothes for the ceremony,” IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta told The Indian Express.

The female athletes traditionally wear a saree but with a blazer over it for the opening ceremonies at multi-sport events likes Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and Olympics. The blazers, emblazoned with the India logo, are usually uniform for both men and women. However, many women athletes are not known to be fond of the odd, Indo-Western combination.

In the past, a few athletes had chosen to take the blazer off like Jwala Gutta at the 2016 Rio Olympics and Sania Mirza and a few others were seen without the blazer in their yellow sarees at the 2012 London Olympics.

But there have also been several athletes who have preferred not to wear the saree at the opening ceremonies. Tennis player Sunitha Rao was seen in tracks at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

India will be sending as many as 225 athletes to participate in this year’s Commonwealth Games, which will be held from April 4 to April 15 in Australia.