Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's attire at the NATO meeting in the Netherlands on June 24 became a focal point of intense debate among Polymarket bettors.
On Polymarket, a user created a betting market on a cryptocurrency-based prediction platform, asking whether Zelenskyy would wear a suit before July, requiring video or photo evidence of him in a suit between May 22 and June 30.
The market's trading volume approached $7.9 billion. The initial result leaned towards "yes," but it has since been disputed twice and is currently awaiting a final decision.
On July 1, Polymarket acknowledged the controversy surrounding the market, stating that at the time, "there were no credible reports confirming that Zelenskyy had worn a suit."
The debate over Zelenskyy's clothing led people on social media to question whether it constituted a suit, as it was a fitted blazer paired with a collared shirt and trousers, or if the sneakers disqualified it from being defined as a suit.
Supporters argued that the outfit was made from similar fabric, in similar colors, and appeared formal, resembling a suit, making the cut and style irrelevant.
Opponents contended that it was a black shirt and a black jacket, more akin to a casual blazer than a traditional suit jacket, and that his sneakers did not match the rest of the outfit, thus technically not constituting a complete traditional suit.
A community-operated account on X, Polymarket Intel, classified the Ukrainian president's outfit as a suit.
When Cointelegraph asked ChatGPT, it stated that the outfit was not considered a suit due to the lack of key elements of a traditional suit. It referred to it as a military-style field jacket or tactical coat.
President Zelenskyy in a suit last night pic.twitter.com/Uo3Rhuzkq1
Meanwhile, Canadian menswear writer and commentator Derek Guy, also known as a menswear expert on X, did not provide much resolution to the controversy, stating on June 26 that he believed Zelenskyy's outfit was "both a suit and not a suit."
This is not the first time Zelenskyy's attire has sparked issues on Polymarket. Another similar betting market closed on May 31, leading to a debate over whether Zelenskyy’s similar outfit at a conference in Germany that month constituted a suit.
Polymarket ultimately determined that it was not a suit. Derek Guy also participated in that debate, claiming that Zelenskyy was technically wearing a suit, defined as "as long as the jacket and pants are made from the same fabric."
Zelenskyy has faced criticism for not wearing a suit at formal meetings with world leaders.
Politico reported on March 22 that Zelenskyy himself stated he would wear a suit again when the war with Russia ends.
Ukrainian media outlet Kyiv Independent reported on March 5, explaining that the Ukrainian president prefers casual military-style clothing because the war is ongoing, and if he "wears a suit, it means he agrees that the war is over."
This year, Polymarket has also been involved in several other controversies, such as the TikTok ban proposal in January, which sparked debate over the technical details of the outcome, as the platform was banned but still accessible when the betting market closed.
Polymarket uses UMA protocol's blockchain oracle to obtain external data to resolve market outcomes and verify real-world events.
UMA has previously faced accusations of being out of control or having manipulated oracles, such as in the March case regarding a $7 million bet on Ukrainian mineral trades.
Meanwhile, a report from blockchain-driven economic database Truf.Network on Thursday (July 3) suggested that the entire market relies on "trust in data," which has been broken because "data is decentralized, unverifiable, and often manipulable. When no one can verify prices, who won, what the score was, or even if it rained yesterday, the market itself collapses. If the people verifying the results are also betting on the game, the truth becomes contentious."
Related: U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis drafts independent crypto tax legislation
Original article: “How the Zelenskyy ‘Suit Incident’ Sparked a Massive Betting War on Polymarket”
免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。
