During the moguls qualifying at the Milano Cortina Olympics, an international livestream repeatedly used the wrong pronouns for Swedish skier Elis Lundholm. The misgendering occurred during Lundholm’s first qualifying run on February 10 and was first reported by Outsports. NBCUniversal said the error came from an international feed with non‑NBC commentators; the network removed the replay and apologized to Lundholm and viewers.
What unfolded on the broadcast was jarring: commentators on the external feed referred to Lundholm as “she” several times, despite his use of he/him pronouns. NBCUniversal called the incident a mistake tied to the third‑party commentary, issued a public apology and pulled the replay. Notably, the on-site announcer at the moguls venue used Lundholm’s correct pronouns, underscoring the mismatch between local and international coverage.
This kind of slip matters because pronouns are a basic gesture of respect and recognition. When broadcasts get them wrong, the effect goes beyond a simple factual error — it can distract from an athlete’s performance, cause personal distress, and chip away at viewers’ trust in media professionalism. Live sports are hectic, sure, but that only raises the stakes for careful verification before and during transmission.
The incident exposes weaknesses in editorial checks and training. Many outlets already rely on pre-show briefings, style guides and short broadcast delays to catch mistakes; when those safeguards are uneven or absent, problems quickly become visible. Clearer protocols for confirming athletes’ names and pronouns, mandatory inclusivity training for commentators and faster, transparent on-air corrections would reduce harm and restore confidence. NBCUniversal has apologized but hasn’t yet spelled out any new internal steps, leaving open the question of how similar mistakes will be prevented going forward.
Context matters, too. Sporting eligibility rules and broadcasting standards are shifting as public debates about gender and competition continue. The International Ski Federation’s (FIS) requirement that competitors be entered under their registered sex is central to understanding this situation. Outsports reported Lundholm had not begun masculinizing hormone therapy, which helps explain why he appeared on the women’s start list while identifying as a trans man.
This episode echoes past broadcasting errors that prompted networks to update style guides, increase staff training and introduce delays. When those changes are implemented transparently, they can help rebuild trust; when they aren’t, stakeholders are left wondering who’s accountable and what protections will be put in place.
Lundholm handled the attention with visible resolve. Speaking to Swedish outlet Aftonbladet, he said, “Of course it’s something I thought about. You can hear the voices out there. But then, I do my thing and don’t give a damn.” That response — compartmentalizing the noise to stay focused on the run — is familiar among athletes who face public scrutiny.
The immediate fallout was avoidable: viewers’ attention shifted away from the sport, and the athlete absorbed additional stress. Looking ahead, expect rights groups, broadcasters and governing bodies to press for either incremental fixes — better briefings, verified feeds, routine sensitivity training — or broader reforms that clarify how identity and eligibility intersect in elite sport. How organizations respond in the coming months will determine whether this incident prompts meaningful change or simply becomes another item in a recurring pattern of missteps.