Norway's men's curling team wore their signature funky pants during a 7-4 loss to Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, honoring former skip Thomas Ulsrud. The bold attire, first popularized in 2010, marked a one-time gesture in the traditionally conservative sport. The team plans to return to standard pants for upcoming matches.
At the Cortina Curling Center in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on February 17, 2026, Norway's men's curling team faced Sweden in a round-robin session of the Winter Olympics. The Norwegians, skipped by Magnus Ramsfjell, suffered a 7-4 defeat but drew attention for reviving their iconic diamond-printed trousers.
The pants served as a tribute to Thomas Ulsrud, the legendary curler who led the team to wear them at the 2010 Vancouver, 2014 Sochi, and 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Ulsrud, who passed away from cancer in 2022, helped make the outfit a viral sensation, even earning a Facebook page with nearly 700,000 followers and a pair gifted to King Harald V.
"We thought one game honoring the old team and wearing the full Norwegian outfit there on the ice would be just amazing," Ramsfjell said. He described Ulsrud as "an incredible guy, an incredible curler, and just a passion for curling and a passion for just everything I was interested in."
Teammate Martin Sesaker noted the discomfort of the unfamiliar gear: "We haven’t played in these too much, so we aren’t super-comfortable in them. It was always meant to be a tribute, just a one-time thing." The team possesses only one set of the original pants from Vancouver and intends to switch back to black pants for their remaining two round-robin games, where they remain tied for third place in pursuit of a semifinal spot.
Ramsfjell mentioned discussions about launching their own trouser brand for sponsorship and to boost curling's visibility, but expressed reluctance: "Then again, it was kind of their thing, and I feel like it would be a bit taking what they earned and then taking it for ourselves."
