Elis Lundholm is the only transgender athlete to compete at the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina. The 24-year-old represents Sweden in skiing.
He competes in the female category.
Although that last sentence might be confusing to some, there is nothing to see here. There is no reason to be upset about an unfair biological advantage at the Olympics. This is a non-story despite attempts to make it one. Lundholm does not have an issue with the athletic assignment.
Who is Swedish Mogul skiier Elis Lundholm?
Born July 10, 2022, Lundholm grew up in Varmdo, right outside of Stockholm. The mogul specialist debuted for the Swedish Skit Team at the World Cup in 2024 and has three top-25 finishes in the last few years. It has been an impressive run.
Elis Lundholm was selected to represent Sweden in Italy after a second-straight third-place finish at the national championships. This is the athlete’s first time at the Olympics.
Moguls competition is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 10 through Thursday, Feb. 12. Dual Moguls is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 14 and Sunday, Feb. 15.
Dual Moguls is a new event this year. Two skiers compete side-by-side on the same course. The winner advances to the next round of the bracket. But like traditional Moguls, time is not the only factor.
The judged event also takes style into account. A skier is scored based on time, turns and aerial maneuvers.
The first openly transgender athlete at the Winter Olympics.
It will be a historic moment when Elis Lundholm takes to the slopes next week as the first athlete to compete at the Winter Olympics while publicly out as transgender. The 24-year-old Mogul skiier is a biological female who identifies as male and uses he/him pronouns as of six years ago.
There is going to be pushback to Lundholm’s participation at the Olympics. He doesn’t care.
“Of course it’s something I thought about,” Lundholm told Aftonbladet. “You can hear the voices out there. But then I do my thing and I don’t give a damn.”
Lundholm says he has always been treated well. Especially in his home country. Fredrik Joulamo, the sports director and team manager at the Swedish Olympic Committee, expressed his full support.
However, there are always going to be haters.
The International Olympic Committee’s AI scanner is going to help to clean up the online hate on Lundholm’s social media. Any vocal critics at his events will be asked to leave.
But here’s the thing.
Eris Lundholm is a biological female who has no problem competing under his assigned sex at birth. There is nothing to see here.