Canada
Explore The Royal Family's close relationship with the region, as well as the diverse artistic traditions represented in the Royal Collection
Mittens [XXI Winter Olympiad Vancouver 2010]
Textiles, wool | RCIN 99593
Canadians are very proud of their sporting traditions, and many people associate Canada with a love of ice hockey. Indeed, The Queen has received several gifts of hockey memorabilia during her tours of the country. Yet, Canada’s sporting achievements go further than that. Canada hosted the first Commonwealth Games in 1930 and has gone on to host the Games a further three times (in 1954, 1978 and 1994). These mittens, produced for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, became ubiquitous as Canada finally won gold medals in a home Olympics (having failed to do so at Montreal in 1976 and Calgary in 1988), topped the medal table, and defeated the United States of America in the men’s ice hockey final. This pair was presented to The Queen at a garden party during her tour of Canada in the summer of 2010.