Just days before the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are set to begin, U.S. skeleton racer Katie Uhlaender is still fighting for a spot.
The American is at the center of a controversy after the Canadian skeleton team made a decision at a recent race that ultimately cost her a sixth Olympic appearance. Uhlaender says Canada manipulated the competition, and the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, the sport’s governing body, agreed after an appeal — but declined to intervene to upend the Olympic qualification process. On Thursday, Uhlaender told The Athletic she’s considering appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Here’s what you need to know about the situation.
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What went down?
On Jan. 11, Katie Uhlaender and 22 other women’s skeleton racers were in Lake Placid, N.Y., facing what was, for many, their final chance to score points for the Winter Olympics. But the event took an unexpected turn just before the starting signal. Team Canada pulled its four athletes at the last moment, pointing to a grueling schedule — it was the third race in six days in Lake Placid — and claiming it wasn’t in their best interest to compete.
Other racers, however, saw it as a strategic move.
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