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An investigation by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) has found that Team Canada manipulated the outcome of the North American Cup in Lake Tahoe, New York, earlier this month.
Canada’s actions deprived American Olympian Katie Uhlaender of a chance to earn enough points to qualify for the upcoming Winter Games in Milan Cortina.
After Team Canada withdrew its athletes from the North America Cup earlier this month, reducing the number of points the competition could award. The reduction made it mathematically impossible for Uhlaender to earn enough points to qualify.
The IBSF found that “the Canadians’ action was intentional and aimed at reducing the points available to athletes who slipped during the Lake Placid NAC final,” it announced in a statement obtained Wednesday by PK Press Club Digital.
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Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) initially said the decision to remove the athletes was made “after a careful assessment of the needs of the program and in consultation with the IBSF” and “careful consideration of the health, safety and long-term development of the athletes.”
“It was determined that continuing to run these athletes was not in their best interest, nor in the best interest of the program,” he added.
Team USA skeleton racer Katie Uhlaender has been denied the chance to earn enough points to qualify for the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Team USA)
However, one of the Canadian athletes said coaches said the reason for the withdrawal was due to “best interest in how the points worked.”
“They came to us and explained to us that it would be in the best interest of how the points had worked out for Jane, so that we as a team could qualify for two spots in the Olympics,” said Canadian skeleton racer Madeline Parra. The Canadian Press.
Today, the IBSF determined that Canada made a conscious decision to remove athletes in order to manipulate potential points at stake.
“Although Canada later 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 assertion that this decision was a deliberate effort by Canada to reduce the points available at the Lake Placid NAC final in order to protect its own Olympic quotas,” the announcement said.
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The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee requesting that Katie Uhlaender be given a spot at the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)
However, the IBSF is not taking any action to penalize Canada or change the outcome of the event to grant Uhlaender a chance to qualify for the Olympics.
“Although the disqualification of an athlete and the annulment of results may have collateral impacts (other participants progressing in the official rankings, for example), the Olympic Movement Code does not define standards or means by which records in an event can be modified other than through sanctions,” the statement said.
Uhlaender is still leading an international protest to secure qualification for the next Olympics.
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) requesting that Uhlaender be given a spot. Fourteen other countries have joined this petition.
The Olympic committees of Malta, Israel, the Virgin Islands, South Korea, Belgium, Brazil, Jamaica, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ghana, Nigeria, Trinidad, Colombia and Latvia signed their support for Uhlaender, either in their own letters or by signing the USOPC’s letter to the IOC requesting that the American qualify.
The IOC has since responded to the USOPC’s letter pleading in favor of Uhlaender.
Several Olympic committees have signed their support for Uhlaender. (James Lang/USA TODAY Sports)
“This matter concerns the application of IBSF rules and procedures in relation to an event organized by the IBSF. The IOC understands that the IBSF has already responded to Ms Uhlaender on this matter,” the IOC said in a statement provided to PK Press Club Digital.
vice-president J.D. Vance will lead the US presidential delegation to the Milan Cortina Olympics next month. Uhlaender hopes that the vice-president will advocate for her participation.
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“As U.S. Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to meet with leaders of the International Olympic Committee, I respectfully ask him to stand with me as an Olympian who has represented the United States of America and our values, the USOPC and the many nations involved in supporting our request that IOC President Kirsty Coventry use her authority to maintain fairness in Olympic sport by granting a wildcard,” Uhlaender said.
“Doing so would protect the integrity of competition and prevent further damage. Such action would send a powerful message to young athletes around the world that upholding ethics and integrity can be difficult, but it matters.”
