US skeleton competitor Katie Uhlaender said she was “extremely disappointed” after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled it had no jurisdiction to hear her appeal over lost qualifying points for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
CAS’s ad hoc division, created for the Games, said on Monday it can only consider disputes that arise within the 10 days before the opening of the event — from January 27 onward — and therefore could not take Uhlaender’s case. Uhlaender, 41, who had been pursuing a sixth Winter Games, said: “I’m extremely disappointed that once again, nothing can be done. It’s frustrating in a sense that we spent five hours arguing the case, and they ultimately said we couldn’t be heard, even though we were.”
Uhlaender’s appeal concerns a Lake Placid race in January where she says she was denied crucial Olympic qualifying points after Canada’s coach Joe Cecchini pulled his female sliders from the event. She alleges the withdrawals reduced the field and lowered the points available to those who did compete. She asked CAS to reinstate full points for the race, which would have moved her ahead of fellow American Mystique Ro for the second U.S. Olympic spot.
“This isn’t about me. This is about all of the athletes in that field that witnessed an attack on the integrity of sport,” Uhlaender said, adding that 15 countries backed her complaint. She also said critics told her she was “old and washed up” and should drop the matter, but she insisted she was fighting for fairness.
The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) initially dismissed the complaint, but its appeals tribunal later found Canada’s action to be “intentional and directed to reducing the points available.” The tribunal cited evidence including a recording of a phone call in which Cecchini told Uhlaender he wanted to “eliminate any possibilities” that Canada’s Jane Channell could fail to qualify. The appeals body, in a ruling dated January 23 (a date central to CAS’s jurisdiction decision), said it had the authority to impose sanctions and re-award points. Despite that finding, the IBSF did not reinstate the points Uhlaender sought.
Uhlaender’s remaining paths to the Games are limited. The International Olympic Committee declined her request for a discretionary wildcard last month, deferring to the IBSF. At the CAS hearing, the IBSF and Canada’s federation argued that even if Uhlaender were awarded full points, she would not automatically receive a berth because the U.S. would have to replace one of its already nominated athletes — either Mystique Ro or top-ranked Kelly Curtis.
CAS said it had “carefully considered the evidence and submissions” but concluded the matter fell outside its ad hoc division’s remit. Rob Koehler, head of athlete advocacy group Global Athlete, said the decision highlights flaws in the system: “The ‘athlete first’ slogan by the IOC is pure rhetoric,” he told DW. “It also highlights that justice delayed is justice denied. There’s no remedy here.”
Uhlaender said she still hopes the IOC will reconsider a wildcard, saying such a move would send a message about the importance of sport integrity. “What I’m hoping the IOC will see, is that this truly is about the integrity of sport, and the wildcard would symbolize that,” she said.
Edited by Matt Pearson