Katie Uhlaender, of the United States, has told DW that the head coach of Canada's skeleton team manipulated a weekend qualifying event for February's Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

According to Uhlaender, a five-time Winter Olympian, Joe Cecchini admitted to the scheme in a telephone call with her. She said Cecchini's actions had dashed her hopes of making it to Italy for a sixth Winter Games.

"I cried when I found out he went through with this plan," said Uhlaender, who has represented the United States at five Olympic Games, beginning in Torino 2006. 

"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 hurts so many people," Uhlaender said.

'Eliminate possibilities'

According to Uhlaender, six Canadian women had been lined up to race in the North American Cup at Lake Placid, New York, on Sunday, before four were instructed to pull out of the competition at the last minute, reducing the size of the field to under 21. 

Crucially, this meant that fewer qualifying points were on offer and, as a result, it made it more difficult for Canadian athletes to be caught in the Olympic qualifying rankings. 

According to Uhlaender, Cecchini — who competed for Italy at the 2018 Winter Olympics — told her in a telephone call on Friday night that he wanted to "eliminate any possibilities" that Canada's Jane Channell, a veteran of two Winter Olympics, could fail to qualify.

When she pleaded with him to change his mind, Uhlaender said, Cecchini asked how it was his responsibility to "uplift" other countries.

Uhlaender's account of the call is supported by an email forwarded to DW by a separate source.

The email, which the source said was sent by Cecchini to Canadian team members, explains that the decision to withdraw athletes was made to "ensure that we have a complete and accurate understanding of the points landscape, qualification implications and confirmed start numbers," adding that participation would be determined in the "best interests of the national team."

'Scared to speak out'

Uhlaender went on to win the competition in Lake Placid, but, because she was awarded fewer points for her victory, failed to secure a place at the Milan-Cortina Games.

She has called on the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) to investigate Cecchini's behavior, accusing him of using "bullying" tactics on other nations and his own team.

"It's the fact that he's shown his younger athletes that one athlete is more important than them," said Uhlaender, who is 41. "What is it teaching them? They're scared to speak out. They want to race.

"He did not have to do that. He did it because he could. And it wasn't to protect his athletes; it was to manipulate the system. He waited until after everyone was registered and gave the illusion that the Canadians were going to be competing. He wanted to make sure that we could not get full points."

IBSF's Integrity Unit to investigate

Responding to a DW request for comment, the IBSF on Monday confirmed that it was looking into the allegations. 

"Following the recent discussions around the withdrawal of several Canadian Skeleton athletes at last weekend’s IBSF North American Cup (NAC) in Lake Placid (USA), the IBSF has requested its Integrity Unit to conduct an investigation into the incident," the federation said in an email. 

Athletes from Denmark, Israel and Malta were also affected by the Canadian team's withdrawals. Along with the United States, their head coaches wrote to the athletes' commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), raising "serious concerns" about the qualification process.

Canada defends actions

Though it is unclear whether any rules have been broken, Uhlaender suggested that Cecchini's actions violated the IOC's code of ethics on competition manipulation, which all skeleton athletes and coaches are required to follow.

"I'm hoping the IBSF does the right thing and awards full points for this race because of the competition manipulation that Canada exhibited," Uhlaender said.

"And I'm hoping that someone does an investigation into his [Cecchini's] behavior," she said. "I'm worried for those athletes, because I don't want Joe to retaliate against them."

When Cecchini was offered the chance to respond personally, he asked DW to contact his national federation, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS).

In a statement, BCS said racing what it called the "young and relatively new" athletes was "not in their best interests" and that withdrawing them was "appropriate, transparent and aligned with both athlete welfare and the integrity of the sport."

In addition, BCS said a senior athlete had written to the Canadian coaches on behalf of the team to express "full support" for the decision. According to the federation, the idea that athletes were scared to speak out "could not be further from the truth."

This article was originally published on January 12, 2026, before the IBSF responded to DW's query. It has been updated with the federation's response

Edited by: Chuck Penfold