Sochi Olympics: Meet Norway's Most Famous Pants

The Norwegian curling team has nine pairs of pants for these Olympic games.

ByABC News

February 11, 2014, 10:29 AM

The Norway's Men's Olympic Curling Team--from left, Thomas Ulsrud, Torgor Nergard, Christoffer Svae, and Havard Vad Petersson--wear their Sochi 2014 suits in New York, Jan. 21, 2014.
Cassie Kovacevich/Loudmouth Golf/AP Photo

Feb. 11, 2014 -- Names: Thomas Ulsrud (skip), Christoffer Svae (second), Torger Nergård (third), Håvard Vad Petersson (lead)

Event: Men's Olympic curling

Stats: Thomas Ulsrud (age 42), Christoffer Svae (31), Torger Nergård (39), Håvard Vad Petersson (30)

Hometown: All members of this year's Norwegian curling team were born in Oslo, Norway, except for Nergård, who was born in the city of Trondheim.

Olympic Record: Silver at 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games

Thomas Ulsrud of Norway slides a stone down the ice during the Curling Men's Gold medal game between Canada and Norway on day 16 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at the Vancouver Olympic Centre, Feb. 27, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada.

Background: The Norwegian men's curling team has the honor of quite possibly being the only Olympic team with an unofficial Facebook page dedicated to their pants. It's certainly the most popular. The page has about 547,000 likes. This year in Sochi, the team has nine pairs of pants that they are wearing throughout their competitions.

PHOTO: Norway skip Thomas Ulsrud, wearing rose-painting knickers and a patterned flat cap, delivers the stone during curling training at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Feb. 8, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. — Norway skip Thomas Ulsrud, wearing rose-painting knickers and a patterned flat cap, delivers the stone during curling training at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Feb. 8, 2014, in Sochi, Russia.

It all started before the 2010 Olympics when the wrong uniform was shipped to the team weeks before their pre-Olympic training. Svae went online and found red, white and blue (the colors of Norway) pants in a checkered pattern. Svae said he liked them because they are comfortable.

PHOTO: Norway's Christoffer Svae delivers the stone during the men's curling training session at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Feb. 9, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. — Norway's Christoffer Svae delivers the stone during the men's curling training session at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Feb. 9, 2014, in Sochi, Russia.

"I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I had seen," Nergard told The New York Times, adding that he didn't think fans would care about them. "As long as we were wearing pants, I didn't think there would be too much of a fuss."

But fans did care, and the pants were a hit.

PHOTO: Norway's Haavard Vad Petersson, left, and Christoffer Svae sweep during men's curling competition against Team USA at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Feb. 10, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. — Norway's Haavard Vad Petersson, left, and Christoffer Svae sweep during men's curling competition against Team USA at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Feb. 10, 2014, in Sochi, Russia.

But not everyone loves them.

"Put it like this, you'll not see me wearing them," Norway coach Pal Trulsen told the Associated Press. "Except maybe at a bad-taste party or something."