The XXV Winter Olympic Games, otherwise known as Milano Cortina 2026, will begin in a few short days, and one athlete from the United States still doesn't know if she'll be making the trip after Team Canada apparently pulled some shenanigans. American Katie Uhlaender, who competes in the sport of skeleton, has been left in limbo after the Canadian team allegedly manipulated the scoring system that decides who gets a slot on their country's Olympic team.
Here's a bit more about how Uhlaender finds herself in this position:
After Team Canada withdrew four athletes from the North America Cup, it reduced the amount of points the competition could award. The reduction made it mathematically impossible for Uhlaender to earn enough points to qualify. Uhlaender, a five-time Olympian, was hoping to qualify for her sixth Winter Games, but lost the chance before competition even began in Lake Placid due to Canada's withdrawals.
With each country only allowed two competitors per team, Canada has shored up the prospects for its two best sliders, Hallie Clarke and Jane Channell. The U.S. will be represented by Kelly Curtis and Mystique Ro (and, possibly, Katie Uhlaender).
A January investigation by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) found that Team Canada did indeed manipulate the outcome of the North American Cup in Lake Placid, New York, thus denying athletes like Katie Uhlaender a chance to earn their spots on the team. The IBSF concluded that "the action of the Canadians was intentional and directed to reducing the points available to athletes who slid at the final Lake Placid NAC."
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Uhlaender is now leading an international protest to help those unfairly disqualified to gain spots on their respective Olympic teams. "I am fighting for what is right. I am fighting for my rightful Olympic opportunity. But more importantly, I am fighting for every athlete who has been harmed by competition manipulation. I am far from the only athlete affected by these actions," she said.
Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd (CO-03) is squarely on Uhlaender's side, and took to X over the weekend to call attention to her plight.
Katie Uhlaender is a five-time Olympian from Colorado who was on track for Milan-Cortina until Team Canada gamed the system against her. They withdrew athletes at the last second to manipulate the math and eliminate her before she even had the chance to compete.
— Rep. Jeff Hurd (@RepJeffHurd) February 1, 2026
Olympic…
Katie Uhlaender is a five-time Olympian from Colorado who was on track for Milan-Cortina until Team Canada gamed the system against her. They withdrew athletes at the last second to manipulate the math and eliminate her before she even had the chance to compete.
Olympic competition should reward the training, skill, and performances in the games, not strategic withdrawals.
Canada thinks it's a case of sour grapes on Uhlaender's part. Canadian skeleton coach Joe Cecchini said of Uhlaender's protest, “I feel really bad for the athletes in trying to understand why people are so potentially angry. There's a voice from an athlete who's been in multiple Olympics and is carrying a certain clout. And it's been really hard and it has challenged myself, my staff.”
More from Cecchini, who says he's known Uhlaender for twenty years:
“I totally can understand how skeleton is a huge part of her life as it is mine. And so I can see how she can be upset and disappointed,” Cecchini said.
“But being disappointed and upset with the decision of another nation, or expecting another nation to go to do something extra for you so that you can have a certain performance, I don't think it is fair to put that onto another nation and to be so disappointed in a decision that someone does to take it as personally as she has.”
Not so fast, said one Canadian athlete. Canadian skeleton racer Madeline Parra told one media outlet that the reason for the withdrawal was due to "the best interest for the way points had worked." She continued, "They had come over and explained to us that it would be in the best interest for the way points had worked for Jane, so that we as a team can qualify two spots to the Olympics."
An IBSF hearing was scheduled for Sunday morning, but there has been no word yet on its determination as relates to Katie Uhlaender.
There's really only one thing to say of this matter: Take off, hosers.
The Winter Games will run from February 6 thru February 22.
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