There's an Olympic Skeleton Controversy Afoot

Katie Uhlaender thought she'd raced her way into a sixth Olympics; instead, she's on the outside asking for a rule change. The 41-year-old US skeleton veteran says she was effectively knocked out of contention for the Milan Cortina Games after a Lake Placid qualifying event earlier this month took an unexpected turn. Though CNN reports Uhlaender won the race, Canada pulled four women from the competition at the last minute; that shrunk the field and, under the sport's complex points system, reduced the number of ranking points available. Uhlaender ended up short of the Olympic cutoff as a result and is now accusing Canada of gaming the system, reports NPR. Canadian officials and athletes deny that, saying no rules were broken.

The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation reviewed the withdrawals, acknowledging they "intuitively" raised concerns about possible manipulation. But on Jan. 15 it sided with Canada, ruling the move did not violate federation regulations or its ethics code and leaving Uhlaender's lower points total in place. On Monday, US Olympic and Paralympic Committee sport chief Rocky Harris said Team USA backed Uhlaender and asked the International Olympic Committee to step in, but the IOC replied that it supports the federation's decision.

Uhlaender is now publicly urging the IOC to create a one-off "wildcard" slot that would let her race in Milan Cortina next month, framing her appeal as a test of "the integrity of sport." Writing on X on Saturday, she also called on Vice President JD Vance, who is leading the US delegation to the opening ceremony, to press international officials. On the international front, Fox News reports 12 countries, including Belgium and Denmark, have publicly sided with Uhlaender.