A Greenlandic Olympian has launched a blistering attack on Donald Trump, branding the US president ‘crazy’ following his latest threats to acquire the territory.
Biathlete Ukaleq Slettemark is currently representing Denmark at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games while the island remains under the global spotlight.
The controversy erupted this week at the Anterselva Biathlon Arena, where the 24-year-old athlete was joined by Greenland’s sports minister in a show of sovereignty.
She said: ‘So of course, if there’s only one Greenlandic person everyone knows, I’m happy to defend my country and show people who we are and where we are on the map’.
Meanwhile, in a powerful statement released during the Games, Nivi Olsen, the Greenlandic Minister for Sport, Culture, and Education, did not mince her words.
‘Life is very difficult in Greenland. People are afraid. I think that Trump is crazy.
Greenlandic Olympian Ukaleq Slettemark has launched a blistering attack on Donald Trump
Meanwhile, the Greenlandic Minister for Sport branded the US president ‘crazy’ following his latest threats to acquire the territory
‘I know it is a tough thing to say, but you can’t buy people, you can’t buy a country, there are people who live in Greenland, Greenland is our home, so we can’t understand Trump, we can’t understand how he can do what he does.
‘But also we have hope. I can see the hope in people. And we stand together. And we fight together for our country. Honestly, I feel like everything that happened has brought us all closer together, especially from the Danish side.
‘We feel a lot more support. We feel people are getting more educated about Greenland and are actually interested in the wellbeing of Greenlanders. And also they are starting to see that Greenland is really very important strategically’.
The siblings at the heart of the storm, Ukaleq and Sondre Slettemark, are the only two Greenlanders competing at the 2026 Games.
Ukaleq, a former Youth World Champion who won gold in the 10km individual in 2019, finished 52nd in the women’s 15km event in Italy this week.
Her younger brother, Sondre, 21, made his Olympic debut following a strong showing at the 2025 World Championships where he finished 69th in the individual race.
Both athletes were born in Nuuk but have trained extensively in Norway to reach the elite levels of a sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
The Slettemarks are carrying on a family legacy, as their father Oystein competed for Denmark at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Greenland remains an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, home to approximately 56,000 people, the majority of whom are Greenlandic Inuit.
Ukaleq, a former Youth World Champion who won gold in the 10km individual in 2019, finished 52nd in the women’s 15km event in Italy this week
A number of sport stars have recently spoken out against US president Donald Trump
While the island handles its own domestic affairs, foreign policy and security remain under the control of Copenhagen.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) currently only recognises independent sovereign states, preventing Greenland from competing under its own flag.
Despite this, the Slettemarks are competing in bespoke suits featuring the northern lights and traditional Inuit ‘kakiorneq’ tattoo patterns.
The strategic importance of the island has surged recently, with its vast mineral resources and proximity to Arctic shipping lanes drawing renewed interest from Washington.
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Greenland Olympian slams Donald Trump’s bid to ‘buy’ her home country in Winter Games outburst