Canada's skeleton team cleared of race-fixing allegations that ended US star's Olympic bid
Updated . First published
Canada's skeleton team has been cleared of allegations that they manipulated an Olympic qualifying race to shut out their competition.
Earlier this week, the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) announced it would investigate Canada's late withdrawal of four athletes from a skeleton race at the North American Cup in Lake Placid after US slider Katie Uhlaender alleged the decision blocked her qualification for next month's Winter Olympics.
A 2012 double world champion, Uhlaender was chasing ranking points to secure a sixth Olympic appearance ahead of the deadline on January 18.
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Although Uhlaender, 41, won the event, Canada's withdrawal of four of its six athletes dropped the field to fewer than 21 competitors.
Katie Uhlaender of the United States competes in the women's skeleton heats at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Yao Jianfeng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
The reduced field lowered the available ranking points, stifling international qualification efforts and effectively ending Uhlaender's bid for the Milano-Cortina Games.
Uhlaender claims she learned of the strategy from Canadian head coach Joe Cecchini last Friday.
"I cried when I found out he went through with this plan," she told German broadcaster DW.
"I didn't know if it hurt more that my friend of 20 years just nailed my coffin, my Olympic dream is over. Or, that my best friend of 20 years is doing something so horrible that it hurts so many people."
Coaches from the US, Denmark, Israel, and Malta — whose athletes also lost out with the Canadian withdrawals — voiced "serious concerns" over the integrity of the qualification process.
Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) swiftly defended its move, saying the decision to withdraw its athletes was made "after careful evaluation of the program's needs and in consultation with the IBSF".
The national body maintained that all competition entries are subject to "careful consideration of athlete health, safety, and long-term development," in addition to the overall strategic needs of the program.
"It was determined that continuing to race these athletes was not in their best interests, nor in the best interests of the program," the BCS said in a statement.
The organisation also acknowledged that the withdrawals had an unintended impact on both the field size and the total development points awarded for the event.
"It is well understood within the sport that development circuits do not carry fixed points," the statement continued.
"The National Skeleton Program has always treated the development circuit as exactly that – a developmental environment - not a pathway for Olympic qualification.
"BCS remains confident that its actions were appropriate, transparent, and aligned with both athlete welfare and the integrity of the sport."
On Thursday, the IBSF said it would take no further action after investigating the allegations.
"The current IBSF rules allow national federations to withdraw athletes from competition at any time," its statement read.
"The IIU (Interim Integrity Unit) dismissed the complaints as the current IBSF rules and regulations did not give grounds for a breach of the international rules, the code of conduct, and, respectively, the code of ethics."
Uhlaender intends to retire after the 2026 Games. While she remains eligible to qualify, Kelly Curtis and Mystique Ro are the frontrunners for the US spots.
