ATHENS -- Why was Canadian weightlifter Maryse Turcotte sewing on the eve of competing in the Olympics?

To ensure the folks back home could tell she was actually competing for Canada.

"The Canadian Union of Weightlifters told us that they could not pay for new uniforms for the competition here," Turcotte told Sun Media.

Instead of wearing Canadian red and white, Turcotte's uniform is blue.

"I did not want the indiscretion of representing Canada in the Olympics with a uniform in the colours of Quebec," she said.

"So I asked the union to supply me with a badge to be sewn on my uniform, but they didn't even have that!"

Turcotte then turned to her brother-in-law, former Olympian Sebastien Groulx, to see if he could help her.

"He unstitched a badge from one of his old uniforms. I brought it here and I sewed it on my blue uniform the day before my competition."

Turcotte placed 11th after Monday's final round.