The sporting rivalry between the United States and Denmark took on an unexpected political edge at the Winter Olympics, where the ice hockey competition became a symbolic stage for tensions linked to the island.

After a whirlwind few weeks, the brother-and-sister biathlon team of Sondre and Ukaleq Slettemark have put politics aside to focus on making Greenland proud at the Milano Cortina Olympics.

Biathlete Sondre Slettemark is set to make his Olympic debut at the Milano Cortina Games, continuing a family legacy that includes his father and sister as he represents the Commonwealth of Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands in the men’s 20km individual race.

Sondre and Ukaleq Slettemark usually make up Greenland's biathlon team, despite a lack of facilities. But they are competing for Denmark at the Winter Olympics and, unlike Donald Trump, they want it to stay that way.

Greenland-born biathlete Sondre Slettemark finally realised his dream of competing at the Olympics in Tuesday's punishing 20km individual race, and though it cost him every ounce of energy he had to make it over the finish line in 62nd place,

Ukaleq Slettemark is used to the stress of competing on the world stage as she tries to qualify for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. But the 25-year-old biathlete from Greenland is facing an extra level of anxiety as U.S. President Donald Trump keeps ...

Stream every moment and every medal of the 2026 Milan Cortina Games on Peacock. Read more NBC News coverage of the Olympics and the athletes competing. It was a rocky start, but the United States men's hockey team was able to rally past Denmark to earn the win in Olympics group play.

The International Olympic Committee have banned Greenland from competing at the Olympic Games for a political reason. On February 6 the 2026 Winter Olympics got underway across in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, with 2,900 athletes from more than 90 countries competing across 16 days.