White House goes Canadian to pay off lost Olympic bet

Mar 12, 2010, 23:20 GMT

Washington - Despite the shining US performance at the Winter Olympics last month, it turned out to be a costly showing for the White House.

Spokesman Robert Gibbs showed up for the daily press briefing on Friday wearing the Canadian hockey team's jersey. He's not a fan, or Canadian for that matter. He was just paying off a bet.

Gibbs had wagered with his counterpart up north, Dimitri Soudas, spokesman for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on the outcome of the gold medal hockey matches between the US and Canadian men's and women's team.

The American women lost 2-0 and the men were beaten 3-2 in overtime, obligating Gibbs to wear a red-and-white jersey sporting a maple leaf during an on-camera briefing.

'I am making good on my aspect of my wager with Dimitri, my Canadian counterpart, who is somewhere several hundred miles north laughing,' Gibbs said.

Gibbs also announced that arrangements were being made to send two cases of beer to Harper's office to cover President Barack Obama's bet with the prime minister.

Gibbs wore the Canadian jersey for a few minutes before yanking it off, revealing that underneath he was wearing a blue US hockey jersey, drawing applause from reporters.

After a while, some television reporters asked Gibbs to remove the shirt, not wanting to have to explain in a story on health why the spokesman was wearing a hockey jersey.

Gibbs refused. 'It cant be any stranger than some of the other stuff I see on the news,' he said.

'Im just glad it was a hockey, not a wrestling, bet,' said one reporter, before another added: 'Or sumo wrestling.'