Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – A Team USA skeleton racer who accused Canada of deliberately corrupting the Olympics qualifying process has launched an appeal to be granted a “wildcard” entry to next month’s Milan-Cortina Winter Games. Katie Uhlaender, 41, won a key event this month at Lake Placid, New York, but failed to earn the full amount of qualifying points she needed to reach the Olympics after several Canadian athletes were withdrawn at the last moment. The highly unusual decision to remove the athletes brought accusations of manipulation, as Canada could have lost one of its own Olympic berths had results gone unfavorably with a full field of racers.
“Had this race not been manipulated, I would be preparing to represent the United States of America and make history as the first woman to compete in six Olympic Winter Games for our country,” Uhlaender wrote in a statement Saturday. The “blatant competition manipulation” posed a greater threat to sport than doping, she added. The decision by Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton to withdraw four racers too late for them to be replaced meant that the race went ahead with a reduced field, and therefore those competing could only earn a smaller number of qualifying points.
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Canada has denied the accusations of deliberate manipulation. At the time of the Lake Placid race, it cited a grueling schedule for the athletes’ withdrawal. An International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation investigation and a subsequent appeal filed by Uhlaender both failed to result in any action being taken. On Saturday, the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee, citing support from eight other countries, filed a request to Olympics chiefs, including International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry, for “the creation of a wildcard entry” that could allow Uhlaender to compete in Milan.
Pending the outcome, Uhlaender said she plans to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. “This request is not about special treatment. It is about preventing further damage and upholding the spirit and values of Olympic sport,” said Uhlaender. “According to me and the majority of nations involved in this race, Canada corrupted everything that is meant to be fair and beautiful about our sport,” she added.
© 2024 AFP
