NBC has deleted the feed of the 2026 women’s moguls freestyle skiing qualifiers , which took place on Tuesday, February 10, after commentators repeatedly misgendered an athlete during the live stream.
Swedish skier Elis Lundholm, who was born female but identifies as male, was referred to as “she” by one commentator, while another used “they” instead of “he.”
- NBC deleted the live stream of the 2026 women’s moguls qualifiers after commentators misgendered Swedish skier Elis Lundholm.
- Social media reactions have remained divided, with some praising NBC’s apology and others defending the commentators.
- The controversy comes as the President of the International Olympic Committee has signaled a possible ban on transgender women competing in women’s events.
The network’s decision to remove the footage and issue an apology has caused social media users to share mixed reactions.
“It’s not hard to call someone what they prefer,” one person wrote, while another defended the commentators, saying, “But he was competing in a women’s sport. I’d get confused too.”
Misgendering of a trans athlete at the Winter Olympics landedNBCin hot water
Olympic rings displayed against mountain backdrop highlighting controversy over misgendering incident involving trans Olympian.
23-year-old Lundholm is the only openly transgender athlete competing at the ongoing Winter Olympics.
He is also the first trans athlete to ever compete in the Winter Olympics.
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation allowed Lundholm to compete in the women’s division because he has not started masculinizing hormone replacement therapy yet.
Young Swedish Olympian wearing blue jacket with Olympic and Swedish flag logos amid misgendering incident debate.
Similar regulations allowed Filipino boxer Hergie Bacyadan to compete in the women’s event in Paris in 2024.
Lundholm started his run and navigated his first jump cleanly on Tuesday before going off course and facing early disappointment.
Trans Olympian skiing in the Winter Olympics, wearing blue and white gear, amid a misgendering incident debate.
The upset was chronicled by one of the live stream commentators, who said, “Getting off course here though… oh, she just skids out of that gate.”
“She’s going to hop up and go around to make sure she does not DNF as she continues down the line here,” the commentator continued.
Tweet from TaraBull replying to Notwokenow, expressing being torn on a misgendering incident involving a trans Olympian.
Trans Olympian in Sweden team jacket holding Milano Cortina 2026 sign amid misgendering incident debate.
In its apology for streaming the misgendered commentary, NBC said: “ NBC Sports takes this matter seriously.”
“We apologize to Elis and our viewers, and we have removed the replay of that feed,” the network added.
A heated debate has ensued online about Lundholm’s misgendering andNBC’s apology over the same
Trans Olympian performing an aerial skiing trick in Olympic gear under a clear blue sky during competition.
“That apology was respectful,” a netizen said in support of NBC ’s acknowledgement of the commentators’ slip-up, while another added, “It’s really that simple. An apology goes a long way. ”
“Treating people with respect doesn’t cost a thing,” a third person wrote, while a fourth added, “Beautiful and respectful. Well done.”
Screenshot of a tweet discussing a misgendering incident involving a trans Olympian and the ensuing online debate.
Social media post discussing a misgendering incident involving a trans Olympian sparking heated debate online.
“Never apologize for speaking the truth,” an NBC detractor, meanwhile, advised.
“Skier is confused, so why wouldn’t the network be?” asked another.
A third NBC critic added, “They had nothing to apologize for. All they did was speak the truth about this lady skier.”
Trans Olympian holding trophies and medals in front of sponsor backdrop amid misgendering incident and debate after NBC footage deletion
“Too bad we are hearing nothing about the skier. Did the skier do well in the Olympics? Fall on the run?” asked the next.
Lundholm finished 25th in the qualifiers and did not advance to the moguls’ final round.
The misgendering debate comes as the International Olympic Committee reviews its policy on transgender inclusion
Trans Olympian skiing at the Olympics, captured mid-action amid a snowy slope during a competitive event.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who took charge of the organization last year, according to Associated Press and Daily Mail Sport , has indicated that she may move to ban transgender women from competing in women’s events.
She also suggested the IOC could reinstate genetic testing, which it abandoned in 1999 after it was deemed scientifically flawed and ineffective at identifying male impostors , at future Olympic Games.
Tweet discussing misgendering incident involving a trans Olympian and controversy after NBC deletes related footage.
Screenshot of a tweet discussing a misgendering incident involving a trans Olympian sparking debate online.
Genetic testing involves checking whether an athlete has XX (female) or XY (male) chromosomes to decide if they can compete in the female category.
In some rare cases, though, women can host XY chromosomes.
Trans Olympian in blue ski gear and goggles amid a winter setting highlighting misgendering incident controversy.
President Donald Trump also said in August 2025, during a White House event, that he would push for genetic testing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to bar transgender athletes from competing in the women’s division.
Olympian performing a midair ski flip during winter competition amid heated debate on misgendering incident.
That same month, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services also announced that it had updated its immigration policy to restrict visa eligibility for transgender women looking to compete in women’s sports.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Elis Lundholm (@elis_lundholm)
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