Skier becomes first transgender athlete to compete at Winter Olympics
Swedish skier Elis Lundholm is set to become the first openly transgender athlete to compete at a Winter Olympics.Lundholm, who was born as a woman and has since transitioned to identify as male, is competing in the women's freestyle skiing division.Lundholm's participation is allowed under the current International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines and he will compete in the women's moguls and women's dual moguls this week.He is the only openly trans athlete to be competing at the Winter Olympics - being held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy.The Swede's participation for the women's team is in line with the IOC's 2021 'Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations.'Those guidelines allow trans athletes to compete in the Olympics after being cleared by their own national sports federations. Elis Lundholm, a transgender man, is set to be the first trans competitor at the Winter Olympics Lundholm, who hails from Sweden, is a biological woman competing in women's moguls Lundholm has told reporters he blocks out the noise: 'I do my thing and I don't give a damn'According to the IOC, 'This Framework recognizes both the need to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their gender identity or sex variations, can practice sport in a safe, harassment-free environment that recognizes and respects their needs and identities, and the interest of everyone — particularly athletes at elite level — to participate in fair competitions where no participant has an unfair and disproportionate advantage over the rest.'Before he took to the slopes, Lundholm addressed criticism surrounding his participation.'Of course it's something I thought about,' he said. 'You can hear the voices out there. But then I do my thing, and I don't give a damn.'Lundholm told the Sweden Herald that he's 'always been treated well' by fellow competitors in the sport. Meanwhile, the IOC's AI scanner will help eradicate any hate sent his way in social media comments.Meanwhile, executives within the Swedish Olympic Committee and the Swedish Ski Association are standing behind their own.'And it is clear that we will keep an eye on our social media as well and remove and block if any online hate appears,' said Robert Hansson, the sports director for moguls at the Swedish Ski Association.'And so I hope that there won't be any situations that we can't handle. Elis is very confident in himself and in what he's decided on and what he stands for. So it's going to take a lot before he's going to be shaken by this.'So far in the 2026 FIS Freestyle World Cup season, Lundholm is 24th in the overall mogul standings. Qualifying for the Olympic women's moguls begins February 10.
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Skier makes history as the first transgender athlete to compete at Winter Olympics in women's division
