Iconic Funky Pants Of Norway Curling Makes A Return At The Winter Olympics 2026

Norway sits fourth in the men's curling rankings at 4-4, leading Italy by virtue of winning their head-to-head matchup.

Iconic Funky Pants Of Norway Curling Makes A Return At The Winter Olympics 2026

Team Norway brought back the iconic funky pants from the Vancouver Olympics 2010 against Sweden on February 17 (Image via nss Sports)

In Short
  • Norwegian curling team revives iconic "funky pants" as a tribute to late teammate Thomas Ulsrud at the Winter Olympics 2026.
  • The team lost to Sweden while wearing the pants, currently tied for fourth place in the standings.
  • Discussions are ongoing about potentially launching a line of curling trousers, balancing nostalgia with commercial opportunities.

The Cortina Curling Stadium was particularly upbeat on Tuesday evening, thanks to the return of one of the most iconic fashion choices of the past Winter Olympics. The Norwegian curling team brought back the party pants they sported at the previous edition as a tribute to Thomas Ulsrud, who famously pioneered the pants trend.

The trend started in 2010 in Vancouver, when Ulsrud and his team introduced dazzling pants that stood out in the crowd as part of a sponsorship deal with the sportswear company Loudmouth Golf. They continued the trend in Sochi and PyeongChang, with various renditions of the vibrant designs, including a Valentine’s Day design eight years ago.

Ulsrud, who championed these pants, passed away in 2022 at the age of 50 after a long battle with cancer.

Speaking about the tribute, the Norwegian skipper, Magnus Ramsfjell, said that they had been thinking about bringing back the funky pants since they qualified for the Winter Games.

When we qualified for the Olympics, it was always in the back of our minds, ‘Oh, we should really bring back the pants. We had the compromise that one game, honouring the whole Ulsrud team and wearing the fully Norwegian outfits out there on the ice, that would be just amazing for all parties.

The Norwegians were playing Sweden on Tuesday, a team that featured Niklas Edin, who competed against Ulsrud in Vancouver all those years ago. Edin had even cracked a light-hearted joke that the Norwegians looked like “four clowns coming up and down the ice” at the time.

On Tuesday, in the party pants, Norway, however, lost to Sweden. The Norwegians have fallen behind in the standings after the loss to Sweden on Tuesday and Switzerland on Wednesday. They are currently tied with the Italians in fourth place. However, they have the head-to-head tiebreaker, a 10-7 win earlier in the season.

They have just one more match left in the round robin, against the Canadians, who have lost just once this tournament. The Canadians’ sole loss came against the Swiss, who have gone eight-on-eight with one game remaining. Both Canada and Switzerland have punched their ticket to the playoffs.

Though a one-time thing, Norway is thinking about more games in the pants

Norway’s tribute to the iconic trousers made famous by Team Ulsrud may have been planned as a one-off, but the team is now reconsidering whether the statement look could make another appearance. However, practicality and comfort may ultimately decide their fate. Martin Sesaker, the Norwegian third, told:

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.

Magnus Ramsfjell, Bendik Ramsfjell, and Martin Sesaker of Team Norway (Image via Getty)
Magnus Ramsfjell, Bendik Ramsfjell, and Martin Sesaker of Team Norway (Image via nss Sports)

The team is set to discuss whether to use the trousers again for their remaining matches, though a return to their traditional kit appears more likely.

Beyond nostalgia, the pants have also sparked conversations about their commercial potential. The team has discussed the possibility of launching its own line of curling trousers, both to attract sponsorship and to increase the sport’s visibility. At the same time, Magnus Ramsfjell acknowledged the legacy behind the look. He added:

Then again, it was kind of their thing. I feel like it would be a bit like taking what they earned and then taking it for ourselves. So, me personally, I would prefer not to do it.

Nonetheless, he added that the possibility had not been completely ruled out and that if the trousers became very popular and the timing felt right, they could prove profitable.

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