Olympic controversies you should know for Milano Cortina 2026

Like spaghetti and meatballs, you can’t have the Olympics without some controversy dolloped on top.

There’s the insidious: think Tonya Harding, or the state-sponsored Russian doping scandal.

There’s also the strange: the Paris 2024 Canadian drone incident and Ross Rebagliati’s stripped-and-restored 1998 gold medal on account of a positive marijuana test.

What all of these scandals or controversies or (insert word)-gates or whatever buzzword you choose to use have in common is that none suddenly popped up during the Games. Each — whether we knew it at the time or didn’t — had been bubbling under the surface, ready to explode at the powder keg of the Olympics.

Here are five stories you should know as competition gets underway in Italy:

Skeleton

The controversy: Katie Uhlaender, a 41-year-old American, accused Team Canada of manipulating a race on the developmental circuit to secure its Olympic spots and prevent her from competing in a record sixth Games.

How it’s played out: Uhlaender has appealed at multiple levels, including the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and been denied each time. Canada coach Joe Cecchini has found himself at the centre of the scandal, but has maintained that he withdrew his athletes from the race in question for their own well-being: “It’s a system flaw, if anything,” he said in a recent interview with CBC Olympics.

What now?: The chances of Uhlaender finding her way to the start line are near-zero at this point, though U.S. government types are now going to bat for her. A longtime staple in the sport, she was unlikely to contend for the podium at these Games anyway, having not won a major senior medal since 2012. Mystique Ro, who narrowly edged Uhlaender for the final U.S. Olympic spot, claimed two medals at last year’s world championships, including a gold.

Canada’s racers, meanwhile, have been forced to deal with an unwelcome distraction, and may yet have to answer questions about the qualification process. Hallie Clarke, a surprise world champion in 2024 who once competed for the U.S., is the country’s best bet for a medal.

Hockey

The controversy: Construction on the arena started late and looks like it will barely finish on time. As of a few months ago, a hole appeared in the ice during a test event. And, oh yeah, the rink is too small.

How it’s played out: With much consternation from men’s hockey fans who have been yearning for best-on-best action and watched it become potentially compromised by simple mismanagement. Thankfully, the only thing left to do at Milano Santa Giulia Ice Arena is a major clean-up job.

What now?: The dimensions are now a built-in excuse for underperformance; more intriguingly, one wonders how the style of play will change as a result. We’ve already seen dynamic defencemen such as Lane Hutson and Evan Bouchard left at home. Opposite of the old oversized international rinks that rewarded speed and skill, the undersized ice in Milan may promote a more Babcock-ian shutdown style. Advantage: Canada?

Ski jumping

The controversy: Three members of the Norwegian team, including two coaches and an additional staff member, were suspended for 18 months in January for manipulating suits to make them more aerodynamic.

How it’s played out: Two athletes, Johann André Forfang and Marius Lindvik, accepted three-month suspensions in the summer and will compete at these Games. Neither is a bona fide medal contender. At a broader level, the international body overseeing ski jumping modified some rules — including how suits are measured and their shape — to prevent further attempts at cheating.

What now?: It shouldn’t be swept under the rug that it was Norway — which has the most ski-jumping medals and gold medals ever (36 and 12, respectively) — at the centre of this scandal. Competitors and coaches alike will likely be more on edge than usual thanks to increased scrutiny on the sport and the nation with which it is most connected.

Curling

The controversy: World Curling introduced rules just last month that will be in effect for the Olympics to prevent attempts from slowing down a stone while sweeping.

How it’s played out: Canada’s Rachel Homan watched an opponent violate the new rules at the Players’ Championship just days later. However, a lack of officials meant that Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa got away with it. Homan appeared irked, and warned Fujisawa not to do it again, but let play continue.

What now?: Fujisawa won’t be at the Olympics, but Homan will be as she attempts to avenge her disappointing 2018 appearance. Given the Ottawa native was quick to the trigger just two days after the new rules were released, you can bet she’ll be all over it if it happens again on the Olympic stage. Here’s hoping there are enough officials to monitor and enforce. Since the banned tactic helped sweepers avoid big misses, it’s quite possible it comes into play for desperate rinks in Milan.

Figure skating

The controversy: Canadian ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier finished fourth at the Grand Prix Final in December — by 0.06 points — and immediately called out the judging, with Gilles even tweeting from her dog’s account. The duo received widespread support that they were denied bronze.

How it’s played out: Gilles and Poirier won the national title in January as expected, but they haven’t competed in a major international competition since.

What now?: There is always going to be disagreement in a judged sport, but it’s not hard to see how this one could play out — especially if the Canadians swap spots England’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, their most likely bronze-medal competitors.

And one bonus controversy, because figure skating just seems to attract it: France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry used to compete for Canada, but after partner and husband Nikolaj Sorensen was banned over an alleged sexual assault, she teamed up with Guillaume Cizeron — an old rival of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir’s. Cizeron, meanwhile, accused ex-teammate Gabriella Papadakis of smearing him in her recently released book. Papadakis was dropped from NBC’s figure skating coverage shortly thereafter.

Like spaghetti and meatballs, you can’t have the Olympics without some controversy dolloped on top. There’s the insidious: think Tonya Harding, or the state-sponsored Russian doping scandal. There’s also the strange: the Paris 2024 Canadian drone incident and Ross Rebagliati’s stripped-and-restored 1998 gold medal on account of a positive marijuana test. What all of these  Canada, Sports 

Like spaghetti and meatballs, you can’t have the Olympics without some controversy dolloped on top.

There’s the insidious: think Tonya Harding, or the state-sponsored Russian doping scandal.

There’s also the strange: the Paris 2024 Canadian drone incident and Ross Rebagliati’s stripped-and-restored 1998 gold medal on account of a positive marijuana test.

What all of these scandals or controversies or (insert word)-gates or whatever buzzword you choose to use have in common is that none suddenly popped up during the Games. Each — whether we knew it at the time or didn’t — had been bubbling under the surface, ready to explode at the powder keg of the Olympics.

Here are five stories you should know as competition gets underway in Italy:

Skeleton

The controversy: Katie Uhlaender, a 41-year-old American, accused Team Canada of manipulating a race on the developmental circuit to secure its Olympic spots and prevent her from competing in a record sixth Games.

How it’s played out: Uhlaender has appealed at multiple levels, including the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and been denied each time. Canada coach Joe Cecchini has found himself at the centre of the scandal, but has maintained that he withdrew his athletes from the race in question for their own well-being: “It’s a system flaw, if anything,” he said in a recent interview with CBC Olympics.

What now?: The chances of Uhlaender finding her way to the start line are near-zero at this point, though U.S. government types are now going to bat for her. A longtime staple in the sport, she was unlikely to contend for the podium at these Games anyway, having not won a major senior medal since 2012. Mystique Ro, who narrowly edged Uhlaender for the final U.S. Olympic spot, claimed two medals at last year’s world championships, including a gold.

Canada’s racers, meanwhile, have been forced to deal with an unwelcome distraction, and may yet have to answer questions about the qualification process. Hallie Clarke, a surprise world champion in 2024 who once competed for the U.S., is the country’s best bet for a medal.

Hockey

The controversy: Construction on the arena started late and looks like it will barely finish on time. As of a few months ago, a hole appeared in the ice during a test event. And, oh yeah, the rink is too small.

How it’s played out: With much consternation from men’s hockey fans who have been yearning for best-on-best action and watched it become potentially compromised by simple mismanagement. Thankfully, the only thing left to do at Milano Santa Giulia Ice Arena is a major clean-up job.

What now?: The dimensions are now a built-in excuse for underperformance; more intriguingly, one wonders how the style of play will change as a result. We’ve already seen dynamic defencemen such as Lane Hutson and Evan Bouchard left at home. Opposite of the old oversized international rinks that rewarded speed and skill, the undersized ice in Milan may promote a more Babcock-ian shutdown style. Advantage: Canada?

Ski jumping

The controversy: Three members of the Norwegian team, including two coaches and an additional staff member, were suspended for 18 months in January for manipulating suits to make them more aerodynamic.

How it’s played out: Two athletes, Johann André Forfang and Marius Lindvik, accepted three-month suspensions in the summer and will compete at these Games. Neither is a bona fide medal contender. At a broader level, the international body overseeing ski jumping modified some rules — including how suits are measured and their shape — to prevent further attempts at cheating.

What now?: It shouldn’t be swept under the rug that it was Norway — which has the most ski-jumping medals and gold medals ever (36 and 12, respectively) — at the centre of this scandal. Competitors and coaches alike will likely be more on edge than usual thanks to increased scrutiny on the sport and the nation with which it is most connected.

Curling

The controversy: World Curling introduced rules just last month that will be in effect for the Olympics to prevent attempts from slowing down a stone while sweeping.

How it’s played out: Canada’s Rachel Homan watched an opponent violate the new rules at the Players’ Championship just days later. However, a lack of officials meant that Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa got away with it. Homan appeared irked, and warned Fujisawa not to do it again, but let play continue.

What now?: Fujisawa won’t be at the Olympics, but Homan will be as she attempts to avenge her disappointing 2018 appearance. Given the Ottawa native was quick to the trigger just two days after the new rules were released, you can bet she’ll be all over it if it happens again on the Olympic stage. Here’s hoping there are enough officials to monitor and enforce. Since the banned tactic helped sweepers avoid big misses, it’s quite possible it comes into play for desperate rinks in Milan.

Figure skating

The controversy: Canadian ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier finished fourth at the Grand Prix Final in December — by 0.06 points — and immediately called out the judging, with Gilles even tweeting from her dog’s account. The duo received widespread support that they were denied bronze.

How it’s played out: Gilles and Poirier won the national title in January as expected, but they haven’t competed in a major international competition since.

What now?: There is always going to be disagreement in a judged sport, but it’s not hard to see how this one could play out — especially if the Canadians swap spots England’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, their most likely bronze-medal competitors.

And one bonus controversy, because figure skating just seems to attract it: France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry used to compete for Canada, but after partner and husband Nikolaj Sorensen was banned over an alleged sexual assault, she teamed up with Guillaume Cizeron — an old rival of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir’s. Cizeron, meanwhile, accused ex-teammate Gabriella Papadakis of smearing him in her recently released book. Papadakis was dropped from NBC’s figure skating coverage shortly thereafter.