U.S. Skeleton Racer Out of Luck to Make 2026 Milan Olympic Team After Controversial Team Canada Decision

NEED TO KNOW

• Five-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender won't be joining Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport declined to respond to a petition she filed
• Uhlaender took issue with a controversial decision that the Canadian team made during one of the final qualifying events for the Games
• The Court of Arbitration of Sport decided that the event occurred too far before the Games begin, thus upholding a previous decision made by the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation

United States skeleton racer and five-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender will be unable to join Team USA at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after a petition that she submitted to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was denied.

On Monday, Feb. 2, the international organization issued a news release, revealing that they had "no jurisdiction" to handle the case, in which Uhlaender accused Team Canada of blocking her from making it to the Games this year.

The 41-year-old two-time world champion previously called out Canada’s national skeleton team, accusing head coach Joe Cecchini, whom she described as her "best friend" while speaking to the press, of making it impossible for her to qualify for the Games after pulling out four of their competitors from the North American Cup at Lake Placid in New York.

The match, one of the final qualifying events before the Games kick off on Friday, Feb. 6, took place on Jan. 11. Reducing the number of competitors made it so that Uhlaender was unable to secure the necessary points to qualify for the Olympics.

Uhlaender previously took the case to the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, which determined that Canada hadn't broken any rules. The International Olympic Committee agreed with the ruling, according to reporting by the Associated Press.

"In her application, Ms Ulaender requested CAS to determine whether the decision to withdraw four athletes from the Race was in violation of the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions," the news release read.

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The organization noted that it was not guaranteed that Ulaender would be able to get enough points to qualify for the Games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport also stated that their powers were specifically to "resolve disputes as they arise during the 2026 [Olympic] Winter Games or during a period of 10 days preceding the Opening Ceremony."

The race was well outside of the window, which started on Jan. 27. The decision from the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation was handed down on Jan. 23, again outside the necessary window.

The athlete told the press that she "cried when [she] found out [Cecchini] went through with this plan, according to DW.

"I didn't know if it hurt more that my friend of 20 years just nailed my coffin, my Olympic dream is over. Or, that my best friend of 20 years is doing something so horrible that hurts so many people," she continued.

She alleged that the decision was made to "eliminate any possibilities" that Canadian sledder Jane Channell would somehow not qualify for the Games.

However, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton disputed the allegations, saying that the organization "remains confident that its actions were appropriate, transparent, and aligned with both athlete welfare and the integrity of the sport," according to a statement provided to BBC.

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.

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