Since the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010, the Norwegian men’s curling team have made a name for themselves by wearing a series of extraordinarily elaborate trouser designs. And since the Olympics is about nothing if its not about competition, here are 12 of their outfits – ranked.

12) The black ones

The penchant for showy trousers actually comes from team sponsor Loudmouth who provide them. But this delicate floral pattern on display in 2014 in Sochi was a bit of a miss. The black colour sadly means they don’t have that Norwegian national feel about them. A bold, but flawed, deviation from the norm.

These predominately black trousers are quite an unusual departure from the squad’s usual look Photograph: Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty Images

11) The dots

This design is a bit more like what we expect. Team member Christoffer Svae told Time Magazine “Whatever they come up with, we’re never really surprised. We’ve seen it all.”



Norway claimed victory over hosts South Korea in Pyeongchang this week in these dotted trousers. It’s nice, but doesn’t really hit the heights of what we have come to expect from the team.

Norway’s Christoffer Svae brushes in front of the stone during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games Photograph: Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images

10) The houndstooth

Houndstooth is a solid fashion pattern classic that the Norwegian team couldn’t resist trying out in Russia. Svae says he gets recognised in the streets if he wears outrageous trousers as “that curling guy”.

Houndstooth on display on the ice Photograph: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

9) The flowers

The trousers have earned the team a cult following. There is a Facebook page dedicated to them, which has nearly half a million likes, and which comments on the lack of flourish from other teams. A recent post offered the USA team “a participation trophy” for turning up in trousers that weren’t black.

The team wait to make a play against Canada in Pyeongchang Photograph: Harry How/Getty Images

This floral effort has been used in Pyeongchang, and it is much more in keeping with the national colours than the black trousers from Sochi, though it couldn’t help the Norwegians avoid a loss against Canada.

A close-up of the floral detail Photograph: Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images

8) The swirly-whirlies

The format of men’s curling at the Olympics means a team is guaranteed to play nine round-robin fixtures against other nations, providing lots of opportunity for the Norwegians to try out different designs. This swirling pattern was employed against Denmark in Sochi...

It’s not known whether the hypnotic swirls on these trousers might provide marginal gains against dizzy opposition Photograph: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

...with a similar look employed in their most recent match in Pyeongchang, against the United States:

Photograph: Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images

7) The Mondrian

Clearly inspired by the work of Dutch artist Piet Mondrian, these trousers appeared against the USA in Sochi.

Thomas Ulsrud of Norway in action in Sochi in Mondrian-inspired trousers Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images

We’d love to see the trousers inspired by one of Norway’s most famous artists, however. Imagine a curling team looking like Edvard Munch’s scream.

6) The flag

Simple. Elegant. Patriotic. It’s not Munch, but these trousers simply scream Norway.

Ulsrud watches the stone in Sochi in the most patriotic trousers imaginable Photograph: Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty Images

5) The Jackson Pollocks

Another seeming art inspiration on display in Russia, with these trousers looking like one of Pollock’s spectacular paintings.

Vad Haavard Petersson of Norway delivers a stone during the tie-breaker match between Norway and Great Britain Photograph: Tatyana Zenkovich/EPA

4) The Harlequin

Looking back there’s something wonderfully understated about the trousers that the Norwegians were using in 2010 in Vancouver. Clearly, they were wacky and exuberant compared to everybody else, but they weren’t yet hitting their stride. But that’s maybe an advantage.

Christoffer Svae releases a stone during Norway’s match against China in Vancouver in 2010 Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

This pattern is a firm favourite, with the pin-stripes running across it only adding to the elegance.

The pin-stripe detail on the trousers is impeccable Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

3) The Valentine’s Day special

Norway burst into the Pyeongchang Games with a bang on Valentine’s Day with this pink love-themed ensemble.

Torger Nergaard of Norway delivers a stone in the Pyeongchang Olympics Photograph: The Asahi Shimbun/(Credit too long, see caption)

The stark clash with the national colours of red and blue on the team’s shirts may not have been the most aesthetically-pleasing colour combination in Olympic history – but

Don’t you just love these heart-prints? Photograph: Aaron Favila/AP

2) The whole epic suits thing

They never wore this in competition – we suspect these are too snazzy overall for the IOC rules – but we have to give a very high rating to this entire ensemble the team wore on their way to the Winter Games in Sochi.

Norway’s Men’s Olympic curling team wear their new Sochi suits Photograph: Cassie Kovacevich/AP

1) The medal trousers

It definitely wasn’t a case of the wrong trousers for Norway at the medal ceremony in Vancouver in 2010, where the team wore this get-up as they picked up their silver medals.

Canada’s gold winning team along with silver medalist Norway celebrate on the podium during the Vancouver Winter Olympics Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

It was only the third time the men had finished on the podium – they achieved bronze in Nagano in 1998, and gold in Salt Lake City in 2002. Sure, it may not be the most spectacular design, but it was the winning one – and that’s what counts at the Olympics, right?

