What you need to know about the Olympic skeleton controversy between the U.S. and Canada

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.

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. With only 19 athletes on the track instead of 23, points for each finisher dropped by 25 percent, giving Canada an advantage in protecting its position as a country qualifying two Olympic sleds. That left other hopefuls, including Uhlaender, with fewer opportunities to climb the standings. Uhlaender won the race, but earned just 90 points instead of the usual 120. A week later, the final standings were in — she missed a spot on the U.S. Olympic team by 18 points.

The shake-up didn’t just affect the Americans. Athletes from Denmark, Colombia, Finland, the Virgin Islands, and Malta were all competing in Lake Placid with eyes on the final Olympic spots, and Team Canada’s decision made their paths even tougher.

Uhlaender takes action

Uhlaender and several other athletes complained after the Lake Placid controversy. Canada denied any wrongdoing, and an IBSF panel later cleared the team. Still, the 25 percent reduction in points stood, dealing a serious blow to those on the edge of Olympic qualification.

The Lake Placid event was part of the North American Cup, a tier below the World Cup. While considered a second-tier circuit, these races carry valuable ranking points that can be crucial for Olympic qualification. A top finish in these events often counts more toward the overall standings than a low placement in a World Cup race. Uhlaender did not make the U.S. World Cup team to begin the season and was racing these circuits in hopes of being a viable “backup” option, she said.

Uhlaender said she was never contacted during the IBSF investigation, even after she publicly revealed a phone call with a Canadian coach. According to her, the coach admitted he pulled his athletes to protect Canada’s Olympic quota. In response, Uhlaender appealed the IBSF’s initial decision, prompting the panel to open a formal investigation.

Why Canada is under scrutiny

The Lake Placid incident drew criticism largely because of its timing. Canada was in a tight spot for Olympic qualification in women’s singles skeleton, at risk of losing one of its two quota spots. South Korea, one of the closest challengers for a second sled, had two athletes in the race. In the end, Canada qualified two sleds for Milan Cortina, the lowest-ranked country to do so.

Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) rejected any claims of manipulation. The IBSF’s integrity unit cleared the team, citing a rule that allows athletes to withdraw from races at any time.

BCS said the decision to pull their athletes — who were not competing for Olympic spots — came “after careful evaluation of the program’s needs and in consultation with the IBSF,” taking into account “athlete health, safety, and long-term development.” They added that continuing to compete simply wasn’t in the athletes’ or the program’s best interests.

Still, some details raised eyebrows. Canadian skeleton racer Madeline Parra told The Canadian Press that the team’s coaches had framed the withdrawal partly around points strategy. “They had come over and explained to us that it would be in the best interest for the way points had worked for Jane (Channell, Canada’s second Olympic qualifier), so that we as a team can qualify two spots to the Olympics,” Parra said.

Investigation finds wrongdoing, but no action taken

An IBSF appeals tribunal concluded this week that Team Canada intentionally influenced the outcome of the North American Cup in Lake Placid.

According to a document obtained by The Athletic, the appeals tribunal began by assuming “the facts alleged by Ms. Uhlaender are true.” The report goes on to state, “Although Canada subsequently attributed its decision to order four athletes not to slide in Official Training to concerns about the athletes involved, substantial evidence supports Ms. Uhlaender’s contention that the move was a deliberate effort by Canada to reduce the points available at the final Lake Placid NAC so as to protect its own Olympic quotas.”

Despite these findings, the IBSF is not adjusting the results to give Uhlaender a chance to qualify.

“The Olympic Movement Code does not set out standards or means by which event records can be changed other than through sanctions,” the ruling said.

Does Uhlaender still have a chance?

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), petitioning for Katie Uhlaender to be granted a spot at the Milan Cortina Games. Fourteen other countries have added their support to the request. The IOC, though, declined the request.

Another option Uhlaender is considering is a wild-card entry. In a statement to The Athletic on Thursday, she said, “I’ve taken note of the IOC’s response to the USOPC letter. However, it is important to note that no parties have requested a wild card spot, and there is mounting support from national federations in requesting one. I feel this option is still on the table.”

She added, “I am reserving my right to appeal to (the Court of Arbitration for Sport).”

Beyond her own situation, Uhlaender said she sees the situation as central to the integrity of the sport.

“My driving factor with all of this is to ensure that every athlete knows that it is important to stand up when something wrong has happened,” her statement said. “Competition manipulation needs to be taken seriously; it is the biggest hidden threat in sport.”

Impact on the sport

The controversy has sparked a wider debate about how Olympic qualification and points are calculated in skeleton. Points earned on the World Cup circuit carry the same weight as those from continental competitions, and finishing near the top in a second-tier race can often yield more points than placing in the 20s or 30s at a World Cup event. Winning a full-field continental cup race, for instance, earns a slider 120 points. In a World Cup race, it would take a top-12 finish to beat that.

As a result, some athletes strategically step down from the World Cup during Olympic years, viewing the continental circuits as a smarter route to secure one of the 25 available spots in the Olympic field. American Dan Barefoot qualified for the men’s team after starting the year in World Cup, then winning three North American Cup races before the qualifying window closed. Denmark’s Nanna Vestergaard Johansen, who was in the Lake Placid race, secured the final women’s spot after dropping down.

The quirks of the Olympic qualification system add to the strategy. The maximum number of sleds a country can have in the Games is three, and only two get that. Four countries get two sleds each, and 11 get one. This emphasizes international participation but also opens up pathways for sledders outside the top 25 in the sport’s rankings. Five of the top 25 women, including Uhlaender, are set to miss the Olympics because their country’s quota spots are taken by higher-ranked sledders.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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