Associated Press complains the Winter Olympics are too darn white
An Associated Press report examined the demographic makeup of several European teams preparing for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, noting that many of the participating athletes come from majority native-born backgrounds despite increasingly diverse national populations.
Using Sweden as a primary example, the article observed that the country’s Olympic delegation is composed largely of ethnically Swedish athletes. One exception highlighted was NHL player Mika Zibanejad, whose father is of Iranian descent.
The report pointed to demographic data from Statistics Sweden showing that about 2 million of the nation’s 10 million residents were born abroad, with roughly half originating from Asia or Africa. The AP noted that Olympic rosters in countries such as France, Germany, and Switzerland similarly do not reflect the immigrant representation more commonly seen on European soccer or basketball teams.
The story profiled Maryan Hashi, a 30-year-old snowboarder who immigrated to Sweden from Somalia with her family in 2009. Hashi described experiencing cultural and language challenges when she first arrived, which led her to socialize mainly with other migrants from African countries.
Hashi was introduced to snowboarding through a municipal pilot program in Skellefteå designed to help newcomers engage with local activities and integrate into Swedish society. Despite the initiative, she said she initially felt unfamiliar with winter sports, describing snowboarding as a sport where she rarely saw people who shared her background.
AP also spoke with Josef Fahlén, a professor of sport pedagogy at Umeå University, who said the limited diversity in winter sports is more reflective of long-standing cultural patterns than deliberate exclusion. He explained that children often gravitate toward sports their parents are familiar with, which helps explain why skiing and similar activities remain more common among families with long traditions in those sports.
Fahlén pointed to Swedish soccer player Alexander Isak, whose parents are from Eritrea, as an example of how family background can influence athletic interests. “Football exists in Eritrea. Skiing doesn’t,” he said, suggesting that such preferences are often passed down across generations.
When asked about diversity efforts, representatives of Sweden’s ski federation told AP that inclusion is a priority and that they are working to broaden participation. The federation cited initiatives such as the “Alla På Snö” (“Everyone On Snow”) program, launched in 2008, which has provided free equipment and slope access to roughly 30,000 children.
The report also noted the role of Sweden’s Leisure Bank project, which allows people to borrow winter sports equipment at no cost for short periods, similar to a public library system.
The AP article acknowledged that winter sports can be expensive due to equipment, clothing, travel, and lift pass costs, which may present additional barriers to participation. It also noted that while existing programs aim to make winter sports more accessible, they are not specifically targeted toward immigrant communities.
The Associated Press did not respond to a request for comment from The Post regarding whether it views similar diversity patterns in Olympic teams outside of Europe as a concern.
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