An international sporting body has dismissed serious allegations that the Canadian skeleton team deliberately manipulated a qualifying event to block rival athletes from reaching the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Allegations of a Deliberate Scheme
The controversy centred on a race in Lake Placid, New York, last weekend. Katie Uhlaender, a five-time US Winter Olympian in skeleton, accused the Canadian team of a calculated plan. She alleged that the team withdrew four of its six athletes from the competition to reduce the number of qualifying points available for other contenders.
Despite winning the event, Uhlaender found herself deprived of a place at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games. The athlete claimed that Joe Cecchini, head coach of Canada's skeleton team, had told her he devised the scheme.
Investigation Finds No Rules Broken
Following an investigation, the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) announced it would take no action. In a statement released on Thursday, the federation clarified that the existing rules permit national federations to withdraw athletes at any time.
"The IIU dismissed the complaints as the current IBSF Rules and Regulations did not give grounds for a breach," the statement read, referencing the International Rules and Codes of Conduct.
Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton defended the decision to pull athletes, stating it was made for welfare reasons. The organisation insisted the move was "appropriate, transparent and aligned with both athlete welfare and the integrity of the sport," noting some athletes needed rest after multiple races.
Wider Context and Lasting Impact
The incident sparked concern among coaches from several nations, including the US, Denmark, Israel, and Malta, whose athletes' qualification chances were impacted. For Uhlaender, now 40, the outcome is particularly bitter. A former world champion in 2012, her closest brush with an Olympic medal was a fourth-place finish at Sochi 2014. At 45 when the 2030 Games arrive, her chance at a sixth Olympics now appears to have vanished.
This sporting dispute occurs against a backdrop of heightened rivalry between Canada and the United States, which has recently spilled over from politics into the sporting arena, from ice hockey anthem-booing to trade tariff threats.
