A major controversy has erupted in the world of winter sports just weeks before the Milan-Cortina Games, with a veteran American athlete making explosive allegations against a rival national team.
Allegations of Deliberate Sabotage
Katie Uhlaender, a five-time Winter Olympian in skeleton, has publicly accused the Canadian team of deliberately sabotaging her final chance to qualify for a sixth Olympic appearance. The 41-year-old claims the head coach of Canada's skeleton team, Joe Cecchini, orchestrated a plan to manipulate a crucial North American Cup event in Lake Placid, New York.
Uhlaender alleges that Cecchini pulled four of Canada's six athletes from the competition at the last minute. This action reduced the field to fewer than 21 competitors, which in turn drastically cut the number of qualifying points available for the event's winners. Uhlaender believes this was a tactical move to prevent American athletes, including herself, from accumulating enough points to challenge Canadian slider Jane Channell for an Olympic spot.
"I cried when I found out he went through with this plan," Uhlaender told DW. She described the betrayal as a personal blow, stating Cecchini had been a friend for two decades. "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."
Coach's Defence and International Backlash
According to Uhlaender, Cecchini told her directly that his job was not to "uplift" athletes from other nations and that his goal was to "eliminate any possibilities" of Channell missing the Games. Despite winning the Lake Placid event, the diminished points haul was insufficient for Uhlaender to secure her place on the US team for Milan-Cortina.
In response, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton issued a statement defending the withdrawals. They claimed the decision was "appropriate, transparent and aligned with both athlete welfare and the integrity of the sport," suggesting some athletes had already raced multiple times that week.
However, the move has sparked an international outcry. Coaches from the United States, Denmark, Israel, and Malta—whose athletes were all impacted—have written a joint letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressing "serious concerns" about the integrity of the qualification process.
Uhlaender remains adamant the action was malicious. "[Cecchini] did not have to do that. He did it because he could," she asserted. "And it wasn't to protect his athletes; it was to manipulate the system. He waited until after everyone was registered and gave the illusion that the Canadians were going to be competing. He wanted to make sure that we could not get full points."
A Broader Context of Sporting Tension
This incident is the latest in a series of heated sporting clashes between the United States and Canada. It occurs against a backdrop of ongoing political friction, including former US President Donald Trump's past threats and trade tariffs.
The rivalry has recently played out on the ice, where Canadian hockey fans booed the US national anthem during last year's 4 Nations Face-Off, prompting a sharp tweet from former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. While most tensions are confined to the field of play, as seen in last season's thrilling World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays, Uhlaender's allegations suggest a more calculated conflict behind the scenes in Olympic qualifying.
For Uhlaender, a 2012 world champion whose best Olympic finish was fourth in Sochi 2014, the controversy marks a bitter and contentious end to her pursuit of a sixth Olympic team.
