The worlds of sport, art and military aviation came together on Canada’s bobsleigh and skeleton sleds as while they soared down the track at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang.

Motivated by a longstanding relationship between Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton and the Canadian Armed Forces, the unique Olympic sled designs were inspired by the paint scheme on the Royal Canadian Air Force’s CF-18 Demo Hornet – created for Canada 150 celebrations.

Leveraging the synergies between a CF-18 jet and a bobsleigh or skeleton sled – speed, power, precision, performance and pure athletic ability – all while working to achieve their respective missions for Canada, Chris brought the two parties together in a Calgary airport hangar to properly announce the 18 bobsleigh and six skeleton athletes who made up the Olympic Team.

Chris engaged a fourth-year graphics student from Toronto’s George Brown College who brought the relationship together through a truly unique design of Canada’s 2018 Olympic sleds, which paid homage to the Royal Canadian Air Force for helping prepare the nation’s top bobsleigh and skeleton athletes for their #missionformedals in 2018.

Inspired by the CF-18 Hornet, which stirs images of a sleek Canadian flag screaming through our skies, the art on the sleds invoked the same impact on ice for Canada’s top bobsleigh and skeleton athletes – a design that reflected the tremendous power of the sleds, and national pride.

A traditional maple leaf held each of the sleds to Canada’s heritage. The elements included a radiant red with touches of white and black that demonstrates power and speed down the track, while making a statement that the entire country is bonded behind the athletes’ #missionformedals. Orange leaves also showed a modern vision of Canadian sport, while simultaneously paying tribute to the Canada 150 logos on the CF-18.

Canada’s women, two- and four-man bobsleighs had a unique touch of their own. Influenced by the wings of the CF-18, the sides were busy and eye catching, while the sled’s nose respected Canada’s tradition by contrast. The tail of the sled demonstrated another soft connection to the jet, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton’s World Cup sleds this year, and its relationship with the Royal Canadian Air Force with a small image of the jet made from the Canada 150 shards.

A direct nod to everyone in the Royal Canadian Air Force, and to fans of aviation across Canada, the inclusion of a false canopy on the bottom of the bobsleighs which is seen on CF-18 jets around the world, separated itself from all other sled designs and solidifies the connection between the aircraft and the sleds.

In an effort to prepare its athletes mentally for international competition, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton through Chris’ support leveraged opportunities with the Canadian Armed Forces throughout the quadrennial – from a two-day, overnight military training operation to sharing opportunities to experience flying planes and riding in bobsleighs to be a part of the World Cup and Olympic team announcements, the two groups have been side-by-side on the track to 2018.