Allegations that Canada had rigged its skeleton qualifying event for the Winter Olympics have been dismissed by the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF). The US accused Canada's team of deliberately pulling four athletes from a Lake Placid, New York competition last weekend to reduce the field and limit rival athletes' chances of qualification.
Katie Uhlaender, a five-time Winter Olympian, claimed that Joe Cecchini, head coach of Canada's skeleton team, had devised the plan. However, IBSF stated that it would take no action after investigating the allegations, citing the current rules allowing national federations to withdraw athletes from competition at any time.
Canada's team defended their decision, stating that some of the withdrawn athletes had already competed multiple times last week and needed a rest. They argued that the decision was "appropriate, transparent and aligned with both athlete welfare and the integrity of the sport."
The incident has raised concerns among rival athletes from Denmark, Israel, Malta, and the US, who felt their chances were impacted by the Canadian withdrawals. However, the IBSF dismissed these complaints as unfounded, stating that the current rules and regulations did not provide grounds for a breach of international rules or ethics.
As a result, Uhlaender's Olympic spot remains uncertain, despite her earlier statement that the 2026 Olympics would be her last. The US spots are likely to go to Kelly Curtis and Mystique Ro, while Uhlaender can still attempt to qualify for next month's Games.
Katie Uhlaender, a five-time Winter Olympian, claimed that Joe Cecchini, head coach of Canada's skeleton team, had devised the plan. However, IBSF stated that it would take no action after investigating the allegations, citing the current rules allowing national federations to withdraw athletes from competition at any time.
Canada's team defended their decision, stating that some of the withdrawn athletes had already competed multiple times last week and needed a rest. They argued that the decision was "appropriate, transparent and aligned with both athlete welfare and the integrity of the sport."
The incident has raised concerns among rival athletes from Denmark, Israel, Malta, and the US, who felt their chances were impacted by the Canadian withdrawals. However, the IBSF dismissed these complaints as unfounded, stating that the current rules and regulations did not provide grounds for a breach of international rules or ethics.
As a result, Uhlaender's Olympic spot remains uncertain, despite her earlier statement that the 2026 Olympics would be her last. The US spots are likely to go to Kelly Curtis and Mystique Ro, while Uhlaender can still attempt to qualify for next month's Games.
Not buying it, IBSF just saving face. If they were really that keen on fairness, Katie wouldn't be left hanging 
.
I feel like they were trying to tank their own chances or something 
. The US is accusing them of rigging the system and it's kinda sus. But at the same time, I get why Canada would want to rest some of their athletes - those multiple competitions can be tough on your body 
. Still, it's not cool that other teams are getting screwed over by this. 
i mean, who tries to manipulate qualification spots like that? and katie uhlaender is getting robbed - she's been through so much already and now her olympic dreams are hanging in the balance 
it's all about the sport, right? but at the same time, i get why canada might've felt the need to take drastic measures... athlete welfare is key, after all 
. I mean, if Canada was just trying to give their athletes a break, why did they pull 4 of them from the competition without even announcing it? That sounds like a pretty convenient way to rig the game to me. And what's with the "athlete welfare" excuse? If some of those athletes had already competed multiple times last week, couldn't they have just been pulled out before the big event? It seems like a pretty weak justification to me 
.
. If Canada was gonna rig the system, wouldn't they've thought of a better way than just pulling athletes out of a competition? It seems like a pretty obvious tactic to me. And honestly, I don't blame Uhlaender for going off on social media about it - we should be holding our athletes and officials accountable for their actions.
. If they're not gonna take action, how can we trust that the competition was fair? It's not like these athletes are just random, they're competing at the highest level and it's supposed to be a meritocracy.
. According to the IBSF, Canada withdrew 4 athletes from a competition in Lake Placid last weekend and it was totally legit, right? 
They said it was to give some of them a rest since they'd already competed multiple times that week 
.
. Did you know that the IBSF has no rules in place to prevent this kind of thing from happening again? 
.
.
!
it seems like Canada just did what any country with a decent team would do - protect their own athletes' well-being... multiple competitions in one week is no joke! 
and those other countries can't even point fingers without looking into the IBSF's rules 
The rules do say national federations can withdraw athletes, but it's still weird that this happened. 
but let's be real, sports can be super competitive and sometimes you gotta step up ur game 
!
. and the us accusing them of rigging the system? that's some serious drama 
. anyway, the ibsf said they didn't find anything wrong with what canada did, which is super weird considering how many other countries are freaking out about it 
... can you even imagine being that close to a shot at the games and then having it snatched away from u 
canada's totally done nothing wrong, they pulled the withdrawals 'cause some of those athletes were running on fumes lol. and honestly, if they're trying to protect their own athletes' welfare, who can blame them? maybe instead of accusing canada, we should be focusing on how stressful it must be for those athletes to compete in the first place 
.
IBSF just dropped the ball on this one, imo. The US got a major point here and it's not fair that Katie Uhlaender's spot is still uncertain 
. And honestly, if some of those athletes needed a rest after competing multiple times already... like, wouldn't that have happened on their own? 
#SkeletonScandal #OlympicControversy #FairPlayMatters