Canadian curling athletes are set to showcase new team uniforms on the global stage next year, as revealed on Tuesday in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Curling Canada has introduced these uniforms, crafted by an artist from the northwestern Ontario city, with a focus on meaningful imagery inspired by nature, Canada’s Indigenous Peoples, and the iconic Maple Leaf.
Nolan Thiessen, the CEO of Curling Canada, expressed optimism that the incorporation of Indigenous Peoples in the design will encourage more individuals to engage with the sport. He emphasized the importance of providing inclusive platforms for people to see themselves represented in curling.
The unveiled uniforms come in red, white, and black variations and will be exclusively worn in 2026 at prominent events such as the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the World Women’s Curling Championship in Calgary, the World Men’s Curling Championship in Ogden, Utah, and the World Mixed Doubles Championship in Geneva.
The central theme of the uniforms revolves around a hummingbird image, symbolizing a four-year life cycle aligning with Canada’s high-performance athletes’ quadrennial planning for the Olympics and Paralympics. The collaborative effort behind the design involved Shelby Gagnon, a multidisciplinary 2-Spirit Anishinaabe/Cree artist, and Regina-based designer Steph Schmidt, who has competed in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts for Saskatchewan.
Heather Houston, the 1989 world curling champion, commended the uniforms as “inspiring” and highlighted the intricate process and artistic elements that contributed to their creation. Schmidt, reflecting on the collaboration, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to infuse depth and meaning into the Maple Leaf symbol and the hummingbird motif, emphasizing the significance of storytelling at the right moment.
Commercial versions of the uniforms are scheduled to be available for purchase starting November 22, at the 2025 Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax and online. The designer Schmidt described the collaboration as a fulfilling experience that brought together wisdom and creativity, offering Canadians a reimagined symbol of national pride intertwined with the resilient spirit of the hummingbird.
