US skeleton racer Katie Uhlaender said she was “extremely disappointed” after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled it did not have jurisdiction to hear her appeal over lost qualifying points for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
CAS’s ad hoc division, set up for the Games, said on Monday it can only adjudicate cases that arise within 10 days of the start of the event — from January 27 onwards — and therefore could not consider Uhlaender’s application. “I’m extremely disappointed that once again, nothing can be done,” she said. “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, 41, who was aiming for a sixth Winter Games, had taken her case to CAS after alleging she was deprived of crucial Olympic qualifying points at a Lake Placid event in January. She accused Canada’s skeleton coach Joe Cecchini of deliberately withdrawing his female athletes from the race, reducing the field and lowering the points available to competitors who did race.
She asked CAS to restore full points for the event, which would have moved her ahead of fellow American Mystique Ro for the second US spot on the Olympic skeleton team. “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, noting that 15 countries were supporting her case. “I’ve gotten a lot of criticisms saying I’m old and washed up, and I should just let it go, and I’m just fighting for myself. It’s hard to stand up for the right thing.”
Although the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) initially dismissed Uhlaender’s complaint, its appeals tribunal later found that Canada’s action was “intentional and directed to reducing the points available.” The tribunal said 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, supported the contention that Canada sought to protect its own Olympic quotas.
The appeals tribunal, ruling on January 23 — the date relevant to CAS’s jurisdiction assessment — also determined that it had the power to impose sanctions and to re-award qualifying points. Despite that, the IBSF did not reinstate the points Uhlaender sought.
Uhlaender has limited remaining options. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) last month rejected her request for a discretionary (“wildcard”) place, deferring to decisions by the IBSF. At the CAS hearing, Canada’s skeleton federation and the IBSF argued that even if Uhlaender were awarded full points, she would not automatically get a place at the Games because the US would still have to replace one of its already nominated athletes — either Ro or top-ranked US slider Kelly Curtis — on the team.
CAS said it had “carefully considered the evidence and submissions,” but concluded the application fell outside the ad hoc division’s jurisdiction. Rob Koehler, head of the athlete-led movement Global Athlete, told DW the outcome exposed flaws in the system. “The ‘athlete first’ slogan by the IOC is pure rhetoric,” he said. “It also highlights that justice delayed is justice denied. There’s no remedy here.”
Uhlaender said she still hopes the IOC might grant a wildcard, arguing that doing so 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