As the Bermuda contingent entered the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, Russia, the world’s collective jaw dropped at the sight of Olympian Tucker Murphy sporting Bermuda shorts in temperatures reported to be below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Celebrities, news outlets and Twitter users across the globe reacted with mixed feelings to the signature look. Tennis star Maria Sharapova, however, had nothing but love when she tweeted: “Bermuda wearing shorts ... love it! 6 degrees in the stadium #OpeningCeremony”

Meanwhile FOX Sports made the bold move of naming Bermuda the winner of the entire opening ceremony.

“With all due respect to the other bold fashion statements of the Opening Ceremonies, nothing topped this. Kudos, Bermuda. If they gave out medals for Opening Ceremonies, you’d have the gold,” read the blog post.

MSN jumped on the bandwagon, similarly bestowing on Bermuda the title of Best Dressed athletes, tweeting: “Gold medal for #Sochi opening ceremony goes to ... Team Bermuda wearing Bermuda shorts.”

The Houston Chronicle was less complimentary, it reported: “Team Bermuda walked into the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics like they owned the place, wearing matching blazers, bright red Bermuda shorts and knee-high socks, a nod to their country’s proud tradition of looking like idiots.”

Lauren Hansen for TheWeek.com ranked Bermuda eighth on her list of the nine best-dressed countries, although she may have confused Bermuda with the Cayman athletes, who wore flip-flops.

Ms Hansen wrote: “Bermuda: Shorts and flip-flops! Either their bags got lost or that’s literally all Bermudans [sic] wear, in which case, never change.”

The Canadians and the British, however, were less impressed with the fashion statement.

“One only has to feel sorry for the team from Bermuda. That brave handful of competitors had to wear the only national symbol they have, and showed up for their entrance wearing geranium red shorts,” wrote Katherine Monk for Canada.com.

Simon Burnton, for The Guardian, was left puzzled. He wrote: “Bermuda’s four-person outfit turn up in scarlet shorts, blazers and ties. An unusual look, that one.”

The least amazed among them all, however, was the BBC, who noted the long-standing tradition during opening ceremonies.

“The Bermuda team traditionally parade in Bermuda shorts for the opening ceremony of the summer Olympics — and despite the cold, they’ve upheld the tradition in Sochi. Good work,” wrote Lawrence Barretto.