Warning: The following story includes references to misgendering. Reader discretion is advised.
NBC issued an apology after an international Olympics feed accidentally misgendered Elis Lundholm, a Swedish skier who is the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics.
Lundholm, who was assigned female at birth and uses he/him pronouns, was competing in the women’s moguls events on Tuesday when an announcer referred to Lundholm as “she.” The international feed aired on Peacock, and NBC said the comment was made by a non-NBC commentator.
“NBC Sports takes this matter seriously,” an NBC spokesperson told Outsports, adding, “We apologize to Elis and our viewers, and we have removed the replay of that feed.”
Elis Lundholm just made history as the first ever out trans athlete to compete at the Winter Olympics 🏳️⚧️⛷️ pic.twitter.com/yuDpkRHlXv
— Becky Taylor-Gill (@beckytaylorgill) February 10, 2026
It is unclear why NBC opted to remove the replay entirely. As a result, it was also unclear at publication whether any commentators addressed the incident during the broadcast.
Although neither video nor audio was easily accessible at publication, Outsports transcribed what the commentator allegedly said.
“Getting off course here though…oh she just skids out of that gate,” the announcer said. “She’s going to hop up and go around to make sure she does not DNF as she continues down the line here.”
Although Outsports’ Karleigh Webb suggested that NBC “didn’t want to deal with controversy,” it is worth reiterating that the commentator did not work for NBC. Neither Outsports nor NBC identified the announcer in question. There is no reason to believe that the commentator intentionally misgendered Lundholm.
This isn’t NBC’s first controversial broadcast incident during this year’s Winter Olympics. Todd Richards, a former pro skateboarder, was caught on a hot mic describing the men’s snowboarding big air final as “so boring.” Richards later apologized, explaining that his frustration stemmed more from the event’s format than from the athletes themselves.
OLYMPICS HOT MIC: NBC sports commentator Todd Richards not hiding his excitement…
‘THAT WAS BORING’
He’s a former Olympic snowboarder pic.twitter.com/Ka4cixqtxd
— RT (@RT_com) February 7, 2026
The 23-year-old Lundholm placed 25th in the women’s moguls qualifiers on Wednesday. The Swedish ski team said Lundholm is eligible to compete on the women’s side because he has not had gender-affirming treatment or surgery.
According to Olympedia, more than 20 transgender athletes have competed in the Summer Olympics. Olympedia is an International Olympic Committee-endorsed website, much like Baseball-Reference’s relationship with Major League Baseball.
“I want everyone to be able to compete fairly against each other,” Lundholm told reporters.
Tess Johnson, a U.S. skier who placed ninth and qualified for the final, made it clear she has no problems with Lundholm competing on the women’s team.
“I think that’s awesome,” Johnson said, “and, yeah, I mean we’re here to ski, we’re here to have fun, and that’s exactly what we do.”
The 2026 Winter Olympics, also known as Milano Cortina 2026, began on Feb. 6 and run through Feb. 22. As of Thursday morning, Italy leads all countries with 14 total medals, though its five gold medals trail Norway’s seven. Norway and the United States are tied for second with 13 gold medals, and Austria isn’t far behind with 11.
