Celebrating Canadian Athletes’ Resilience Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics

When it comes to national unity, it’s safe to say that Canada has had a good year. After all, in the face of tariffs, a trade war, and talk about annexation by a certain American leader, the country’s residents have rallied together in unprecedented fashion, celebrating just what it means to be Canadian, and taking pride in that identity.

So, with the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games just a few months away, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), in partnership with CBC/Radio-Canada and creative agency The Hive, is capitalising on this momentum with a new campaign, designed to drive national support for the country’s athletes.

An extension of the ‘Brave Is Unbeatable’ platform, which kicked off ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, this year’s edition centres around a 60-second headline film, titled 'Where Does Bravery Live?'. Once again directed by Untitled Films’ Hubert Davis, the spot follows in its predecessor’s footsteps, showcasing the Olympian journey on an intimate level. However, this version specifically focuses on the bravery, resilience and sacrifice demonstrated on a daily basis by these athletes, harnessing the power of behind-the-scenes footage, archival clips and more to celebrate the ability to overcome struggle. Narrated by Andre De Grasse and Canadian R&B icon Corneille for the English and French versions respectively, it’s beautiful, heartfelt work, and represents yet another thing Canadians can rally around during turbulent times.

To learn more about how everything came together, and what it was like working with so many Canadian Olympians, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with the COC’s senior manager, brand marketing and creative services, Martha Watson, as well as The Hive’s chief creative officer, Erin Wendel, for a chat.

LBB> What was the brief for this special campaign, and specifically, what inspired the decision to expand upon the ‘Brave Is Unbeatable’ platform?

Martha> We saw the impact ‘Brave Is Unbeatable’ had on Canadians during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The premise allows Canadians to see themselves in the athletes and connect with them through similar real-life experiences. So, we wanted to further harness the power of this human connection by telling more stories from more athletes, inspiring Canadians to find their own version of bravery.

The brief was to build on this momentum and success, leverage the campaign to generate awareness and excitement for the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, and to encourage Canadians to rally behind those winter athletes this February.

LBB> Given this decision, what was the ideation process like? How did you find an approach that felt familiar, yet fresh, and what made it right for the COC?

Erin> We explored a lot of ways to evolve (and winterise) the campaign. Honestly we really pushed the boundaries on what it could be. At one point, we were exploring a route that used comedy… So maybe we pushed too far?

We knew we were in the right place when we landed on the idea that the bravery we all have living inside us is made up of a lifetime of experiences. For the athletes, it’s a culmination of everything they’ve gone through in both sport and life. That’s why it became really important to incorporate home movies, photos, old competition footage, audio clips, etc. to represent all of these experiences that have led to this exact moment in time. As you said, it’s familiar, but with a fresh lens on how it’s brought to life.

Martha> We wanted to shed light on the athletes’ stories to help inspire Canadians in their own lives, while also letting people get to know them on a more personal level. The Team Canada brand is driven by our purpose: to transform Canada through the power of sport. And with that purpose, we know the importance of celebrating athlete stories and achievements both on and off the field, and the connection that can foster in Canadians from coast to coast.

LBB> With that in mind, what was the writing process like? How did you ensure all of this was primed to feel authentic and meaningful?

Erin> This all came directly from one-on-one interviews with the athletes. The COC, as you can imagine, knows them intimately. So, we started by talking to the athlete liaison to get an idea of some foundational parts of different athletes’ journeys. Once we narrowed down our shortlist, we were able to conduct interviews with them directly, to see what their comfort levels were and what they were most excited to talk about. We really focused on what was most meaningful to them. That way, it translated authentically on film.

LBB> And how did you decide what athletes and stories to feature?

Erin> This was DIFFICULT. What these athletes do is just so incredible; you want them all to have their stories heard.

Ultimately, our decision was driven by a combination of factors. We wanted a broad selection of sports, representation from around the country, as many different perspectives on what bravery means, availability, interest, etc. It was a lot. But in the end, we were able to get an incredible group of athletes and feel really good about where we landed.

LBB> Just like the previous iteration of ‘Brave Is Unbeatable’, you brought in big-name narrators, and Untitled Films’ Hubert Davis to direct. Tell us about the selection process across the board!

Erin> Just like the first year of the campaign, we really wanted to find Canadian voices that people knew, and that had their own stories of bravery. Andre De Grasse and Corneille were easy choices, especially because the former was a featured athlete in our Paris 2024 campaign, so we really liked the idea of a crossover.

As for Hubert, he’s the right man for a lot of jobs. We’d work with him on everything if we could! He’s very collaborative, on top of being incredibly talented. And the athletes just really seem to connect with him, which you can see in the final films.

LBB> How was the shoot? Where did you film, how long did it take, and do you have any anecdotes from the experience?

Erin> We shot in both Montreal and Toronto. These athletes were all in intense training for Olympic trials, so we had precious little time with them. We filmed three athletes per day, over two days.

In terms of anecdotes, we were able to shoot William Dandjinou, as well as Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier in their home training facilities, so it was super fun to see them in their comfort zones. William actually had a full day of training with the short-track team right before our shoot, so when we were setting up and getting ready, they were doing their cool down on the stationary bikes. It was incredible to see how excited and supportive even the arena staff were, and watch him get the recognition he deserves.

And of course, Marie-Philip Poulin probably made the lives of the kids who were playing and practicing at the facility we shot her scenes at. It was amazing to see their little faces stare at her in awe as she walked to set.

Martha> Here’s a few more!

At one point during his shoot, Mikaël Kingsbury was starting to look tired. He was panting and breathing heavily, so we asked the crew to take a break… only to learn that the team had directed him to look tired, as if he had done a long workout. He was actually totally energised to keep going.

After wrapping with William, he asked us to gather all the crew together on the ice before we left. He gave us an inspiring speech, and thanked everyone for their hard work. It was such a thoughtful and considerate moment, and really energised the team part way through our overall shoot schedule.

It was also really fun to see the athletes from different sports crossing paths between their call times. Mikaël had a great exchange with Marie-Philip after he wrapped, and before we started shooting her.

LBB> Tell us more about working with the athletes! What did it take to truly capture their resilience and bravery?

Erin> It was a privilege, honestly. Many of us on The Hive team are massive Olympics fans, so it was kind of like meeting our heroes. And every single one of them exceeded our expectations! We were able to talk with each before the shoot, and every time we hung up, we had a new favourite.

Creatively, it was important that we share the parts of their journeys that we really felt Canadians would relate to. Their stories, in so many ways, mirror our own. We wanted every Canadian to feel their power and bravery, and relate it to their own.

LBB> From here, what was the post process like? How did you not only work to source and integrate archival footage, but elevate everything with an original soundtrack?

Erin> The COC team was able to help us gather personal videos and photos from the athletes and their families, which really made it feel personal and authentic. Additionally, having CBC/Radio-Canada on board was hugely beneficial in many ways, giving us access to an unbelievably robust catalogue of competition footage and interviews. The team was so integral in finding exactly what we needed.

After that, Nimiopere’s Raj Ramnauth (founder and editor) worked his magic filling in the blanks. He’s maybe the biggest Olympics fan alive, so he really was the secret weapon in pulling it all together beautifully.

For the sound, we worked with TA2, and really explored the gamut of directions we could take this. Raj had been cutting to a scratch track, but we wanted to open it up and see if maybe there was something completely different we hadn’t even considered. We knew we wanted it to feel big and powerful, and to rouse Canadian pride and anticipation. In turn, the team delivered some incredible options.

LBB> What lessons have you learned in the making of this campaign?

Martha> For this iteration of the campaign, we involved the athletes much earlier in the process. This allowed them to help form the creative narrative and shape – a great learning. The athletes are Team Canada, and their perspectives were critical in ensuring the work felt authentic and relatable.

Erin> That I should have stuck with figure skating when I was seven?

Honestly, it’s probably that to truly excel at something and achieve your goals, you really need to be committed. In athletics and life, greatness takes an insane amount of hard work, and a lot of bravery.

LBB> With the event just around the corner, how does this campaign fit into the COC’s marketing approach? What should Canadians be aware of?

Martha> Authenticity is of the utmost importance with this campaign strategy, but it’s also our responsibility as the organisation representing the team and its individual athletes. We wanted the stories themselves to guide the expression of the campaign.

Olympic-time advertising is also an incredibly cluttered period, and as a nonprofit, we are fully reliant on donated media and the generous support of partners in order to get a campaign to market. Therefore the storytelling and the connectivity it can have with Canadians is what we prioritised throughout the whole process. After all, working directly with athletes is something unique to the COC. We don’t have a product to sell; we’re promoting the athletes for the sake of promoting the athletes, and that gave us a lot of freedom in how we brought the work to life.

LBB> Finally, is there an element of the work you’re especially proud of?

Erin> The reactions of the athletes themselves. Everyone we shot got final approval on their scenes and how they were portrayed, both visually and in storytelling. You just never know how it will go. I’ve shot with pro athletes in the past who were very difficult, but these Olympians were all so incredible and collaborative. So, to hear them say how happy they were with the end result? That’s really the thing I’m most proud of. For them to feel represented authentically was our number one goal, and we feel like we really achieved that.