“I don’t think I’ll ever be let into the USA, at least not while Trump is in charge. And I’m fine with that.” Ukaleq Slettemark did not shy away from her position, speaking with a smile. The 24-year-old Greenlandic biathlete will make her debut at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Wednesday, February 11, but she has already made several headlines.
As Donald Trump repeatedly stated his intention to seize Greenland, the Nuuk native was among the most outspoken voices against the US president’s threats.
“You cannot have two cultures that are further from each other [between the US and Greenland],” the biathlete told Le Monde. “Our way of viewing the world is that we are part of nature… We don’t exploit our nature… We don’t damn value capitalism over nature. And that is something that Trump will never understand.”
Slettemark said it’s “special to be representing Greenland on the international stage,” but also to compete for Denmark, since her island is not recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “For these Olympics, it will be extra special to race for Denmark. To show also the world that Greenland and Denmark are standing strong together.”
