Kamloops resident Al Cameron, a veteran in curling media, is set to work his fifth Olympic Games as Team Canada's curling media attaché at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. The 60-year-old will support athletes like Rachel Homan and Brad Jacobs in handling international press. Cameron reflects on past experiences, from gold-medal celebrations to near-misses, while anticipating the traditional winter setting of Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Al Cameron, a 60-year-old Kamloops resident and media relations director for Curling Canada, shared a cherished memory of walking with John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes after their gold-medal win in mixed doubles curling at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. In a video clip, Morris invited Cameron to celebrate with the team, highlighting the personal connections formed in high-stakes moments.
"Those kinds of experiences stand out," Cameron said. "And being able to wear this jacket on the world stage is pretty cool."
The upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, set for next month in northern Italy, will mark Cameron's fifth overall Olympic appearance, though the fourth specifically as curling media attaché for Team Canada. His role involves assisting athletes with media interactions and arranging interviews with global journalists—duties akin to his full-time position, but with one key perk.
"I’m allowed to cheer," Cameron explained. "When I’m at a Montana’s Brier or a Scotties, I’m there working on behalf of Curling Canada and wishing every team equal success. When I’m at an Olympics or world championship, I’ve got a horse in the race and I’m cheering hard and living and dying with every shot."
Cameron's media career spans 26 years as a journalist, including five as sports editor for the Kamloops Daily News and a stint covering the 2010 Vancouver Olympics for the Calgary Herald. There, he witnessed Cheryl Bernard's team miss two shots for gold, yet admired their grace in defeat.
"A piece of me was ripped out because I was inwardly cheering for them, but the grace and poise of that team in defeat when they were addressing the media is such a vivid example of what makes Canadian curling so great," he recalled.
Unlike previous Olympics—Vancouver's rain, Sochi's palm trees, PyeongChang's seaside vibe, and Beijing's COVID restrictions—curling events in Cortina d'Ampezzo promise a classic alpine atmosphere. "Cortina is going to be exciting. I’m really looking forward to being in that kind of winter vibe in a city with so much Olympic history," Cameron said.
Canada's curling contingent includes Rachel Homan in women's, Brad Jacobs in men's, and Brett Gallant with Jocelyn Peterman in mixed doubles. Amid shifting expectations, Cameron urges realism: "We do have to kind of readjust how we think about Canadian curling. It’s not a given that we’re going to win anymore. Let’s aim for podiums and let’s celebrate those successes and let’s hear those cheers."
