Swedish skier Elis Lundholm has made history as the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics.
Lundholm, 23, a transgender man, was announced last month as a member of the women’s freestyle skiing division under current International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines.
Lundholm is also the only openly trans athlete to compete in the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
The mogul skier’s participation on the women’s team comes as part of the IOC’s 2021 “Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations,” which includes 10 principles in recommendations for each sport to consider for eligibility requirements.
Under these guidelines, transgender athletes are able to compete in the Olympics after being cleared by their respective sports federations.
“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,” according to the IOC.
Lundholm made his debut in the 2024 World Cup, where he placed 18th. He has since won four Swedish championship medals.
Lundholm addressed criticism regarding his participation in the Olympics while speaking to reporters ahead of the games in early February.
“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.”
Speaking to the Sweden Herald, Lundholm said he’s “always been treated well” by others in his sport.
Fredrik Joulamo, the sports director and team manager at the Swedish Olympic Committee, has expressed support for Lundholm.
The International Olympic Committee’s AI scanner will assist in cleaning up hate on Lundholm’s social media during the games, according to the Sweden Herald.
“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.
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Hansson continued, “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.”
The dating app Grindr, which specializes in location-based dating for the LGBTQ+ community, has also announced efforts to make sure Olympians feel safe at the games. The app’s explore and roam features have been limited to within the Olympic Village, preventing anyone outside the area from seeing or messaging anybody on the inside.
Grindr also turned off its approximate distance displays, which allow users to see how far away a potential match might be. Additionally, athletes in the Village have “unlimited disappearing messages and the ability to unsend messages to both free and premium subscribers.”
“To the trailblazing athletes heading to Italy: we’re proud to support you and we can’t wait to see you shine,” Grindr said in a statement, addressing the “serious safety and privacy concerns, especially for those who are not out or come from countries where being gay is dangerous or illegal.”
