Curling Canada is bringing some Indigenous style to the uniforms that the country’s national teams will wear at major international competitions this season.
The organization and supplier Goldline Curling unveiled the uniforms on Tuesday, October 14, during an event in Thunder Bay, Ontario. They were designed by artist Shelby Gagnon — a multidisciplinary 2-Spirit Anishinaabe/Cree artist originally from Aroland First Nation, now based in Thunder Bay — and Regina, Saskatchewan-based designer Steph Schmidt, who is also a competitive curler and has represented her province three times at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
There are three uniform bases in the set: red, white and black. Each has “CANADA” across the front, maple leaves on the sleeves and a Canadian flag on the back collar. They also have a maple leaf with Indigenous flourishes on the back and a hummingbird-themed design on the right sleeve and inside the collar.
“It’s been a beautiful experience bringing together sport, culture, and art — exploring holistic wellness and what it means to feel healthy within ourselves through movement, creativity, and community. It’s especially meaningful to share the symbolism of the birds and the plant life of Turtle Island through this design.”
— Shelby Gagnon, Indigenous artist
The hummingbird was chosen as the central theme for the design for numerous reasons, including the fact it has, on average, a four-year life cycle, matching up with the Olympic and Paralympic cycles. Their ability to flap their wings up to 80 times a second and fly for up to 20 hours at a time demonstrates “the kind of endurance and dedication that mirrors that of Canadian curlers hoping to wear the Maple Leaf on the international stage.”
“As a curler and a designer this has been a dream come true. This collaboration brought profound moments of wisdom and creativity. I’m so excited to offer Canadians a re-imagined Maple Leaf with depth and meaning, and a creature as small as the hummingbird and its relentless spirit despite its size. Sometimes I think these stories wait to be re-discovered and told at just the right moment, when the world needs to hear it. It has been the honour of my career to be part of this creative team.”
— Steph Schmidt, designer/curler
The uniforms will be worn by Canada’s national teams at the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milano Cortina, Italy, as well as at 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, Switzerland.
Replica versions will be available to purchase starting November 22 on Curling Canada’s online shop and at the 2025 Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials presented by Connect Hearing in Halifax. The winners of the men’s and women’s events there will represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“We’re excited to showcase these uniforms and the new National Team Uniforms that will be worn in 2026. We worked in partnership with Goldline and their artist and designers to build something that speaks to the journey our teams have taken over the last quadrennial. We know they will be proud to wear these and we can’t wait to join all of Canada in cheering on our athletes in the new year.”
— Nolan Thiessen, Chief Executive Officer, Curling Canada
