ELSA DESMOND WAS so determined to compete at the Winter Olympics she founded the Irish Luge Federation, but as the 2026 Games begin she is not in Milan-Cortina but at home with her parents in the UK, devastated and feeling deeply wronged.
Desmond, born in the UK and eligible to compete for Ireland owing to grandparents on both sides of her family, did compete at the 2022 Games in Beijing, having set up an Irish Federation to allow her to fulfil a dream first kindled watching luge on television as a child. The Beijing Games were curtailed by Covid restrictions, however, diminishing the experience and denying her family a chance to travel.
Desmond’s farewell to the sport was supposed to come in Milan-Cortina, with her family present to watch her one last time. But now those dreams have been dashed.
Desmond argues she has been unjustly excluded from the Games in favour of the Russian athlete Daria Olesik, whom she says did not fulfil all of the qualifying criteria and therefore does not deserve to be at the Games at her expense.
But having fought her way all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Desmond has had to accept defeat on the week of what would have been her farewell to the sport.
“It is impossible to put into words how devastating this is,” Desmond tells The 42.
“I don’t think I have eaten in three days because of the stress. I am living hour to hour, trying to get through the worst of it.”
Desmond argues that Olesik did not meet the eligibility criteria by the stated deadline, and questions the validity of the extension granted to Olesik by the International Luge Federation to allow her complete the criteria.
CAS stated on Friday last week that it did not have jurisdiction to hear Desmond’s appeal to be included in the Games, and a last-ditch effort at arbitration via the International Luge Federation ended in defeat earlier this week.
Olesik will compete at the Games as a neutral athlete, given Russian athletes are not allowed to compete under their national flag under rules introduced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
All Russian athletes – even those competing as a neutral athletes – were initially excluded from luge events following the invasion, but a CAS decision in October last year cleared a path for their return to the sport ahead of the 2026 winter Olympics.
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Olesik therefore became the first Russian athlete to compete a Luge World Cup event in almost four years when she participated in an event in Lake Placid, New York, on 19 December.
While Olesik racked up enough qualifying points to qualify for the Games, Desmond contends Olesik did not fulfil all of the qualification criteria. In addition to their ranking, athletes are also mandated to compete at two World Cup/Nations Cup races between 1-12 January or else compete at one World Cup race along with completing 20 training runs between 1-12 January to be eligible to compete at the Olympics.
Having competed at the 19 December event, Olesik had to compete at another World Cup event or else complete 20 training runs by 12 January to be eligible. While Desmond took part at a World cup event in Sigulda, Latvia, on 3 and 4 January, Olesik and her fellow Russian athletes could not compete as they had been denied a visa by the Latvian government.
Desmond argues that Olesik and the rest of the Russian athletes nonetheless had the opportunity to complete her 20 training runs at their base in Sochi at the same time as she was competing in Latvia.
The Russians did not complete these training runs, however, and instead made a request to the International Luge Federation for an extension to be allowed complete the mandated 20 training runs. The Federation responded by giving Olesik until 19 January to meet the criteria.
In emails seen by The 42, the Russian athletes officially requested an extension to complete the training runs on 31 January last year, explaining it was necessary because of athletes’ absences from the World Cup events in Salt Lake City and Latvia.
We have also seen a subsequent email sent by Claire DelNegro, a vice-president of the international luge federation, on 30 January, explaining that the Federation accepted the Russian Federation’s explanation [RLF] that the athletes could not complete the training runs by the initial deadline.
“The fact is that if they had been able to, they would have done so,” reads the email. “By saying they could not, they had to request an extension. This request was more risk for them, as if it had been declined, then they would not qualify. In that regard, the panel accepted the official statement from RLF that they were not able to train in that period.”
The qualification rules gives the international federation dispensation to grant an extension to athletes who cannot meet the criteria by the initial deadline in “concrete and approved circumstances, i.e. injury.”
Desmond, however, says she has not received a satisfactory explanation as to why the extension was granted. She argued in her submission to CAS that none of the Russian athletes were injured, and claims that, regardless of visa issues, they had access to approved tracks in Russia and China on which they could complete their mandated sessions. She also says that she is unaware of any personal reasons as to why they could not complete their training runs.
Desmond also told CAS that the International Luge Federation did not reply to her letter requesting an explanation of her exclusion from the Olympic qualification list.
She sought a resolution before an ad-hoc division of CAS, which has been established to expedite dispute resolution around the winter Olympics. The International Luge Federation and the International Olympic Committee argued that the dispute occurred outside the 10-day window preceding the Games’ opening ceremony, the time period over which the ad-hoc division of the court has jurisdiction. CAS sided with the International Luge Federation and the IOC.
Her last potential avenue to the Games was via the Luge Federation’s own arbitration mechanism, but that ended with the same result on Wednesday, sealing Desmond’s fate.
Elsa Desmond in action at the 2022 Winter Games. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
The 42 contacted the International Luge Federation to ask why they granted the extension to the Russian athletes, and whether Desmond’s assertion that the athletes could have completed their training runs during the Latvia event in which they were not allowed to compete is correct.
The Federation’s communications department replied by saying they wished they had a larger quota of athletes at the Games, and then sent us a link to the rankings, saying, “Elsa Desmond is on place 35. Daria Olesik on place 23.
“How could anybody say that Elsa was better from the sport side? If you need it, I can also forward the time lists and results from each race. Elsa Desmond was slower in all races.
“We know, she published, that she was better. But as you can see, this is not the truth. Elsa Desmond thought, there is a mistake in the qualification. She decided to take legal action against the nomination of the AIN athlete. This is her right to do so. At the end, Elsa Desmond lost the legal dispute. That is the situation. Everything is correct. Daria Olesik was faster in every qualification race. What else can FIL say at this point? The result is clear.”
When we replied that Desmond’s complaint is not that she was faster than Olesik and that they had not directly answered our questions, the FIL said, “I cannot say more. I don’t know more. Just that Elsa Desmond took her case to CAS and the arbitration court and lost. That is fact. The court obviously saw things differently.”
Desmond will not compete professionally ever again. As a qualified doctor based in Iceland, she has agreed to begin a residency from next month. She says she has spent between €60,000 and €70,000 of her own money to pursue a place at the 2026 Games. She moved out of her apartment and back in with her parents to save money on rent, and leased out her car.
“I have had these games in my diary for 10 years,” she says.
“My grandmother is 80 now, she is not going to be here forever. She has been my number one fan since the day it started. It’s one thing to try and qualify not to be fast enough – that can be heartbreaking – but to qualify and then have your place given to someone else is so much worse.
“The last time I had a winter at home was when I was a child. My whole life has been luge. I don’t think I will fully realise I am retired until next winter. But I can’t go back for another four years, as I could end up in the same situation again. There is nothing I can do.”
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'Impossible to put into words how devastating this is' - The Irish athlete who feels wronged by her Olympics exclusion
ELSA DESMOND WAS so determined to compete at the Winter Olympics she founded the Irish Luge Federation, but as the 2026 Games begin she is not in Milan-Cortina but at home with her parents in the UK, devastated and feeling deeply wronged.
Desmond, born in the UK and eligible to compete for Ireland owing to grandparents on both sides of her family, did compete at the 2022 Games in Beijing, having set up an Irish Federation to allow her to fulfil a dream first kindled watching luge on television as a child. The Beijing Games were curtailed by Covid restrictions, however, diminishing the experience and denying her family a chance to travel.
Desmond’s farewell to the sport was supposed to come in Milan-Cortina, with her family present to watch her one last time. But now those dreams have been dashed.
Desmond argues she has been unjustly excluded from the Games in favour of the Russian athlete Daria Olesik, whom she says did not fulfil all of the qualifying criteria and therefore does not deserve to be at the Games at her expense.
But having fought her way all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Desmond has had to accept defeat on the week of what would have been her farewell to the sport.
“It is impossible to put into words how devastating this is,” Desmond tells The 42.
“I don’t think I have eaten in three days because of the stress. I am living hour to hour, trying to get through the worst of it.”
Desmond argues that Olesik did not meet the eligibility criteria by the stated deadline, and questions the validity of the extension granted to Olesik by the International Luge Federation to allow her complete the criteria.
CAS stated on Friday last week that it did not have jurisdiction to hear Desmond’s appeal to be included in the Games, and a last-ditch effort at arbitration via the International Luge Federation ended in defeat earlier this week.
Olesik will compete at the Games as a neutral athlete, given Russian athletes are not allowed to compete under their national flag under rules introduced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
All Russian athletes – even those competing as a neutral athletes – were initially excluded from luge events following the invasion, but a CAS decision in October last year cleared a path for their return to the sport ahead of the 2026 winter Olympics.
Olesik therefore became the first Russian athlete to compete a Luge World Cup event in almost four years when she participated in an event in Lake Placid, New York, on 19 December.
While Olesik racked up enough qualifying points to qualify for the Games, Desmond contends Olesik did not fulfil all of the qualification criteria. In addition to their ranking, athletes are also mandated to compete at two World Cup/Nations Cup races between 1-12 January or else compete at one World Cup race along with completing 20 training runs between 1-12 January to be eligible to compete at the Olympics.
Having competed at the 19 December event, Olesik had to compete at another World Cup event or else complete 20 training runs by 12 January to be eligible. While Desmond took part at a World cup event in Sigulda, Latvia, on 3 and 4 January, Olesik and her fellow Russian athletes could not compete as they had been denied a visa by the Latvian government.
Desmond argues that Olesik and the rest of the Russian athletes nonetheless had the opportunity to complete her 20 training runs at their base in Sochi at the same time as she was competing in Latvia.
The Russians did not complete these training runs, however, and instead made a request to the International Luge Federation for an extension to be allowed complete the mandated 20 training runs. The Federation responded by giving Olesik until 19 January to meet the criteria.
In emails seen by The 42, the Russian athletes officially requested an extension to complete the training runs on 31 January last year, explaining it was necessary because of athletes’ absences from the World Cup events in Salt Lake City and Latvia.
We have also seen a subsequent email sent by Claire DelNegro, a vice-president of the international luge federation, on 30 January, explaining that the Federation accepted the Russian Federation’s explanation [RLF] that the athletes could not complete the training runs by the initial deadline.
“The fact is that if they had been able to, they would have done so,” reads the email. “By saying they could not, they had to request an extension. This request was more risk for them, as if it had been declined, then they would not qualify. In that regard, the panel accepted the official statement from RLF that they were not able to train in that period.”
The qualification rules gives the international federation dispensation to grant an extension to athletes who cannot meet the criteria by the initial deadline in “concrete and approved circumstances, i.e. injury.”
Desmond, however, says she has not received a satisfactory explanation as to why the extension was granted. She argued in her submission to CAS that none of the Russian athletes were injured, and claims that, regardless of visa issues, they had access to approved tracks in Russia and China on which they could complete their mandated sessions. She also says that she is unaware of any personal reasons as to why they could not complete their training runs.
Desmond also told CAS that the International Luge Federation did not reply to her letter requesting an explanation of her exclusion from the Olympic qualification list.
She sought a resolution before an ad-hoc division of CAS, which has been established to expedite dispute resolution around the winter Olympics. The International Luge Federation and the International Olympic Committee argued that the dispute occurred outside the 10-day window preceding the Games’ opening ceremony, the time period over which the ad-hoc division of the court has jurisdiction. CAS sided with the International Luge Federation and the IOC.
Her last potential avenue to the Games was via the Luge Federation’s own arbitration mechanism, but that ended with the same result on Wednesday, sealing Desmond’s fate.
The 42 contacted the International Luge Federation to ask why they granted the extension to the Russian athletes, and whether Desmond’s assertion that the athletes could have completed their training runs during the Latvia event in which they were not allowed to compete is correct.
The Federation’s communications department replied by saying they wished they had a larger quota of athletes at the Games, and then sent us a link to the rankings, saying, “Elsa Desmond is on place 35. Daria Olesik on place 23.
“How could anybody say that Elsa was better from the sport side? If you need it, I can also forward the time lists and results from each race. Elsa Desmond was slower in all races.
“We know, she published, that she was better. But as you can see, this is not the truth. Elsa Desmond thought, there is a mistake in the qualification. She decided to take legal action against the nomination of the AIN athlete. This is her right to do so. At the end, Elsa Desmond lost the legal dispute. That is the situation. Everything is correct. Daria Olesik was faster in every qualification race. What else can FIL say at this point? The result is clear.”
When we replied that Desmond’s complaint is not that she was faster than Olesik and that they had not directly answered our questions, the FIL said, “I cannot say more. I don’t know more. Just that Elsa Desmond took her case to CAS and the arbitration court and lost. That is fact. The court obviously saw things differently.”
Desmond will not compete professionally ever again. As a qualified doctor based in Iceland, she has agreed to begin a residency from next month. She says she has spent between €60,000 and €70,000 of her own money to pursue a place at the 2026 Games. She moved out of her apartment and back in with her parents to save money on rent, and leased out her car.
“I have had these games in my diary for 10 years,” she says.
“My grandmother is 80 now, she is not going to be here forever. She has been my number one fan since the day it started. It’s one thing to try and qualify not to be fast enough – that can be heartbreaking – but to qualify and then have your place given to someone else is so much worse.
“The last time I had a winter at home was when I was a child. My whole life has been luge. I don’t think I will fully realise I am retired until next winter. But I can’t go back for another four years, as I could end up in the same situation again. There is nothing I can do.”
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