At a Glance
- Biathlete Ukaleq Slettemark calls Trump’s Greenland takeover talk “terrifying” while competing in Germany
- The 25-year-old says her mother broke down crying at the stadium from fear of U.S. aggression
- Slettemark warns Americans should pressure Congress to stop the plan she compares to Putin’s Ukraine invasion
- Why it matters: The political tension is affecting athletes’ mental health and could impact Olympic participation
Greenlandic biathlete Ukaleq Slettemark is no stranger to pressure as she fights for a spot in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. But the 25-year-old now faces an extra layer of anxiety that has nothing to do with skiing or shooting.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated statements about taking over Greenland have left Slettemark and her family in a state of fear while she competes on the World Cup circuit.
“It’s terrifying,” Slettemark told Daniel J. Whitman on Wednesday from Ruhpolding, Germany, where she and her brother Sondre are racing. “We are imagining the worst-case scenario and my aunt is having trouble sleeping at night. My mom, yesterday, she broke down at the stadium crying because she’s so afraid.”
The siblings represent Greenland in World Cup events, but Olympic qualification would see them compete under Denmark’s flag since Greenland lacks its own national Olympic committee.
Training Under Threat
While identifying as an athlete rather than a politician, Slettemark finds the U.S. threats impossible to ignore during training sessions and competitions.
“People are talking about maybe they have to leave Greenland because they feel it’s so unsafe,” she explained. “So we are terrified and we are really angry because this is not how you talk to another country, this is not how you talk to your allies. And we feel so disrespected and very scared.”
Trump doubled down on his Greenland takeover intentions Wednesday, posting on social media that the U.S. “needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security.” The timing proved particularly sensitive as Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepared to meet Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt.
Family Legacy Under Threat
Born in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, Slettemark carries significant athletic heritage. Her father Øystein Slettemark competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics biathlon events, while her mother Uiloq established the Greenland Biathlon Federation.
The athlete previously represented Denmark at the 2022 Winter Olympics and now finds the political situation following her throughout international competition. Fellow competitors regularly check on her wellbeing as the crisis escalates.
“I’m very good friends with the U.S. athletes,” Slettemark noted. “I think they’re all really nice people.”
Olympic Consequences
Slettemark drew direct parallels between Trump’s Greenland ambitions and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine. Russia received an Olympic ban following their 2022 invasion, and Slettemark revealed discussions about similar consequences for the United States.
“I’ve definitely thought so myself, but we’re not at that stage right now, because nothing has happened yet,” she acknowledged. “But if it were to happen, then I would also agree that that would be the right way to do it.”
The biathlete urged American citizens to contact their congressional representatives about halting the takeover plan. She emphasized that Greenland, as a semiautonomous Danish territory and NATO ally, deserves respect rather than threats from the United States.
Key Takeaways
- Greenlandic athletes face mental health challenges while competing under threat of U.S. takeover
- The situation has created family stress extending to international competition venues
- Olympic participation rules mean Slettemark would compete for Denmark despite representing Greenland in World Cup events
- The crisis has sparked conversations about potential Olympic sanctions similar to those imposed on Russia
