Under the arrangement, Uniqlo will provide its LifeWear apparel to Sweden's athletes and officials for four years, a deal that also includes the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympics in Beijing, and associated competitions and activities. 

This comprises apparel to be worn at ceremonies, training and competition, press engagements and leisure time. 

"We strongly believe this is a natural and complementary partnership, following our introduction to Sweden and the Swedish community back in August, when we opened our first Uniqlo store in Stockholm," Tadashi Yanai, chairman, President and chief executive of Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing, said. 

"We are inspired by the people and culture of Sweden; its appreciation of beauty and simplicity in design and approach to life reflects our Japanese origins and our LifeWear philosophy. 

"Sweden is admired all over the world as a great global citizen, so it is an honor for us to be associated with the Swedish Olympic Committee as its partner on the world stage."

Effective immediately Uniqlo will supply a selection of current items to the Swedish national team, and later in 2019 will offer colours and styles custom created for them.

"As we sought a new partner for the 2020 Tokyo and 2022 Beijing Olympics, we emphasized three main criteria; quality, innovation and sustainability, all key elements of the Uniqlo brand," Peter Reinebo, chief executive of SOK, said. 

"We have great confidence in Uniqlo LifeWear and we believe our athletes will be sincere advocates and proud representatives of Uniqlo globally."

Johan Strid, secretary general for the Swedish Parasport Federation and the Swedish Paralympic Committee, revealed his delight at the deal with Uniqlo, a company celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. 

"We are looking forward to wearing Uniqlo on the Paralympic stage," he said.

"The design fits well for athletes with an impairment who compete at the Paralympic Games, which is, of course, extra important for Team Sweden's performance."