The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has denied a US request to award Katie Uhlaender a discretionary place at the Milano Cortina Winter Games, rejecting an appeal meant to “preserve” her Olympic dream.
Uhlaender, a two-time world champion, says she was unfairly prevented from qualifying for a sixth Winter Games after a qualifying race in Lake Placid, New York, earlier this month. She accused Canada’s skeleton coach, Joe Cecchini, of intentionally withdrawing his female athletes from the event to limit the number of competitors and reduce the Olympic qualifying points available.
In a letter to IOC president Kirsty Coventry, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) argued that Cecchini’s actions “circumvented the Olympic qualification principles” and undermined fair competition. The USOPC said an amendment to the qualification system was warranted given the “exceptional circumstances” and reputational harm to the sport, citing allegations that a national federation delayed withdrawing four women until they could not be replaced.
Rocky Harris, the USOPC’s chief of sport and athlete services, said the IOC responded by supporting the decision of the sport’s international federation, the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), which had already cleared the Canadian team. “We did send a letter to the IOC and we got a response this morning that they are supporting the international federation’s decision on the matter,” Harris said.
The IBSF had earlier defended its ruling, saying no rules were broken, though it reminded athletes and coaches about fair play and ethical conduct and indicated it might tweak rules for future events. Uhlaender criticized the IBSF’s inquiry as inadequate, saying she was not asked to provide evidence, including a recorded telephone call with Cecchini in which she says he admitted intent to restrict points. In the recording, Cecchini told Uhlaender he needed to weigh “what’s in the best interests of our program and my team, both psychologically and then with points,” and, when asked if he would try to limit the points on offer, replied: “That’s where I stand.”
After the IBSF appeals tribunal rejected her request to restore full qualifying points from the Lake Placid race on January 11, Uhlaender said she would take her case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). “I am now focused on legally challenging what I believe to be a fundamentally flawed investigation and decision by the IBSF in a final attempt to earn my place at what would be my sixth and last Olympic Games,” she said.
Uhlaender won the Lake Placid event but received 90 points instead of the full 120 because fewer than 21 athletes competed. With national entry limits, she could not overtake her US teammate Mystique Ro in the rankings and missed Olympic qualification by 18 points. The USOPC argued creating an extra spot for the 41-year-old would uphold fair play and the qualification system’s goal of including the best athletes, calling Uhlaender “one of the best athletes globally” whose presence would strengthen the field.
Discretionary spots are rare; in 2023 Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan received a guaranteed entry for the Paris Olympics from then-IOC president Thomas Bach, though she ultimately qualified on her own. The IBSF declined to comment.
This article was originally published on January 24, 2026, and updated on January 27, 2026, to reflect the IOC’s response to the USOPC letter. Edited by Wesley Dockery.