Winter Olympics Make History with Ellis Lundholm, First Openly Trans Woman Skier Competing
Swedish skier Elis Lundholm, a transgender man assigned female at birth, makes history as the first openly trans athlete competing in women’s freestyle skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics under IOC guidelines.
The Swedish ski team announced last month that Lundholm, a biological female who identifies as male, will compete in the women’s freestyle skiing category in accordance with the current guidelines of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Lundholm is also the only openly transgender athlete participating in the Milan–Cortina 2026 Olympic Games.
The inclusion of the Swedish skier follows the IOC’s 2021 “Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations.”
The framework includes a 10-principle approach with recommendations that each sport is called upon to consider for eligibility criteria.
“This Framework recognizes both the need to ensure that everyone, regardless of gender identity or sex variations, can participate in sport in a safe, harassment-free environment that acknowledges and respects their needs and identities, and the interest of all — especially elite athletes — to compete in fair contests where no participant holds an unfair and disproportionate advantage over others,” the document states.
Under the current framework, transgender athletes may compete at the Olympics after receiving approval from their respective sports federations.
In November, reports emerged that the IOC is considering broader eligibility standards for transgender individuals that could exclude biological males from participating in women’s sports.
These claims followed a presentation by Dr. Jane Thornton, the IOC’s Medical and Scientific Director, which showed that the physical advantages in males persist even after extensive testosterone treatments.
The Swedish ski team announced last month that Lundholm, a biological female who identifies as male, will compete in the women’s freestyle skiing category under the current International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines. However, as of Thursday, no new official policy has been announced.
Fox News Digital reached out to the IOC for comment.
The gender guidelines at the Olympics faced increased criticism during the Paris 2024 Games, when Algerian Imane Khelif and Taiwanese Lin Yu‑Ting — both reportedly having failed previous gender tests — won gold medals in their respective weight categories in women’s boxing despite significant controversy.
Khelif has insisted that she is a woman. Lin has not commented on the controversy since the Olympics concluded.
Although the IOC has not yet announced an official policy, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) updated its policies in July to align with President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
The United States will host the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
Reporting contributed by Ryan Gaydos of Fox News. Photos courtesy of elis_lundholm/Instagram
