Though he hasn’t visited Italy, US President Donald Trump has cast a long shadow over the Winter Olympics — from public rows with US skiers to protests in Milan and clashes near the Olympic village. You might expect Greenland’s two athletes at the Games to feel this strongly, given Trump’s talk about taking Greenland. But Sondre Slettemark, who placed 62nd in the men’s 20-kilometer biathlon, told DW he has little to say directly to Trump.
“I wouldn’t say anything to Trump. Honestly, if I were to say something, I would say something to the American people. And that is that the president is not a dictator yet,” Sondre said. He urged Americans who feel unrepresented to call their senators and representatives, to protest, and to hold their leaders accountable.
Sondre and his sister Ukaleq compete under Denmark — representing Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands — because Greenland has no Olympic committee of its own. Ukaleq, who raced in the women’s 15-kilometer biathlon and finished 52nd, stresses her commitment to Greenland’s sovereignty.
“The message I have is that Greenland will never be American. But I’m at the Olympic Games now, and I’m first and foremost an athlete, and I first and foremost need to focus on my competitions here,” she said. “We race for Denmark, we race for Greenland, we show the world stage that we are here.”
The siblings are effectively the Greenland biathlon team. Their mother, Uiloq, founded and heads the federation, and their father, Oystein — who represented Denmark in 2010 despite being born in Brazil — supports them. Biathlon is small in Greenland: there are tracks but no shooting range, and the family did much to develop the sport there.
“My mum and dad were the ones who really made the biathlon in Greenland even exist at all,” Ukaleq said. “They traveled around with me when I was like 0 to 4. So I’ve been at all the World Cup and IBU Cup places even before I can remember.”
Family and community shape the Slettemarks’ pride in Greenland. They share widespread islander concern over talk of selling or taking Greenland, and a wish to protect the land from exploitation. Ukaleq said Greenlandic culture sees people as part of nature; they do not put profit above the environment or aim to exploit minerals.
“I’m afraid to lose our beautiful country,” she said. “I’m afraid that our nature will be exploited. Because we have so much freedom, so many untouched areas that are not asphalt, that are not buildings that are just pure mountains, pure rivers, pure oceans.”
The Slettemarks hope to use their Olympic platform to draw attention to Greenland’s distinct culture and fragile environment and to push back against outside interests that would change the island’s way of life.
Edited: by Chuck Penfold