Skipper of Swiss curling team robbed off equipment

Switzerland's women's curling team fell victim to a thief with a taste for the sport's uniforms and sliding shoes, returning to their van after a match late on Tuesday to find their skipper's gear pilfered.

The team had been at an arena in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, watching an exhibition game involving their male counterparts, and when they strolled back to their rental vehicle they found it broken into and a bag stolen.

It contained gear belonging to captain Mirjam Ott, who is due to lead her team at the Vancouver Olympics. Competition for the women curlers begins on Tuesday.

The bag contained a GPS system, as well as Ott's Swiss team pants, shirts, jacket and shoes, she told the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper.

She expects to have new gear forwarded to Vancouver.

"I heard this happens quite a lot in Winnipeg," Ott, 38, said. "I feel sad that someone would do that. What they took, they probably can't use."

None of the other team members lost equipment, Swiss curling spokeswoman Denise Paris said on Wednesday. Winnipeg police would only say that they received a call about a stolen bag.

The team has been training in Gimli, Manitoba, a small town north of Winnipeg.