Greenlandic biathlete pursues Olympic dream while concerned about ‘horrendous’ threats to her country
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Kaleq Slettemark is used to the stress of competing on the world stage as he tries to qualify for the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. But the 25-year-old athlete from Greenland is facing an extra level of concern as US President Donald Trump keeps saying he wants to take over his country.
“It’s scary,” Slettemark told The Associated Press on Wednesday from Ruhpolding, Germany, where he and his brother, Sondre, are competing in the biathlon World Cup. “We are thinking of a worst case scenario and my aunt is having trouble sleeping at night. My mother broke down yesterday in the stadium crying because she was so scared.”
The Slettemark brothers compete against Greenland in the World Cup, but if they qualify for the Olympics – they will find out next week – they will represent Denmark, because Greenland is not an independent country with its own national Olympic committee.
While stressing that he is an actor, not a politician, Slettemark said the threats from the US are impossible to ignore. It takes more effort to focus on training and competitions as he is worried about what is happening at home.
“People are talking about maybe they should leave Greenland because they feel it is not safe,” he said. “We are shocked and really angry because it is not the way you talk to another country, it is not the way you talk to your partners. And we feel disrespected and we are very afraid.”
Trump reiterated his intention to take Greenland on Wednesday, saying on social media that the US “needs Greenland for national security purposes.” His post came ahead of a meeting between Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenland colleague Vivian Motzfeldt.
Greenland area of Denmark
Greenland is a territory of Denmark, a NATO ally.
Slettemark, who competed for Denmark in the 2022 Winter Olympics, was born in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. Both his parents are biathletes: his father, ├ ÿystein Slettemark, competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in biathlon and his mother, Uiloq, founded the Greenland Biathlon Federation. The sport combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
Threats from the US follow him every day as other athletes ask him how he is holding up. Slettemark said he has no hard feelings against members of the American team.
“I’m good friends with American athletes,” he said. “I think they’re all really nice people.”
Slettemark said he hopes the American people will pressure Congress to stop the plan to take Greenland, which he likened to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.
Russia was banned from competing at the Olympics after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – and Slettemark said he had heard people on the biathlon circuit say the same should happen to the US if it took Greenland by force.
“I thought so too, but we are not at that stage right now, because nothing has happened yet,” he said. “But if it happens, I’ll agree that that would be the right way to do it.”
