NBC deletes Winter Olympics footage after misgendering trans skier
Olympian Elis Lundholm of Team Sweden was misgendered by commentators (IOC via Getty Images)
NBC has issued an apology after its commentators misgendered skier Elis Lundholm at the Winter Olympics.
Team Sweden’s Lundholm, 23, is a mogul skier who has already made history by being the first out transgender man to compete in the Winter Olympics, and is also only the second out trans male Olympian ever.
Although he is a man and uses he/him pronouns, due to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation’s (FIS) regulations on trans participation, he competes in the women’s category.
Despite this, commentators for both NBC and Peacock repeatedly misgendered Lundholm throughout his run down the slopes, by using she/her pronouns while referring to him.
Following the broadcast, NBC did issue an apology.
“NBC Sports takes this matter seriously,” a statement quoted by Outsports read.
“Today we streamed an international feed with non-NBCUniversal commentators who misgendered Olympian Elis Lundholm.
“We apologise to Elis and our viewers, and we have removed the replay of that feed.”
However, the broadcaster has now gone one step further and removed the footage of the event from the network’s Olympic replay lineup, as noted by Them.
Lundholm’s participation in the Games as an out trans athlete comes as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) looks like it is gearing up to ban trans women from competing in all women’s events, following the US Olympic and Paralympic committee making such a decision.
As per reporting in November 2025, Olympic bosses are also said to be looking at prohibiting athletes with difference of sex development from taking part.
IOC president Kirsty Coventry has previously vowed to protect the “female category and athletes”.
“It is very clear that transgender women are more able in the female category, and can take away opportunities that should be equal for women,” she also claimed, despite studies showing trans athletes have no such edge at elite level.
This year’s Winter Olympics is record-breaking for queer representation, with at least 41 out LGBTQ+ athletes representing 13 countries across nine events.
These figures include those representing the UK, the US, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.
The most out queer athletes are in the women’s hockey, with at least 22 queer women set to competing at the Games.
