Associated Press Criticizes Winter Olympics For Lack Of Diversity

A recent report by The Associated Press has drawn significant attention and criticism online for appearing to fault a Nordic country for having too few non-white athletes on its rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The AP published a story Monday titled, “Europe’s rising diversity is not reflected at the Winter Olympics. Culture plays a big role.” While the piece referenced several European nations, both the article and an accompanying video posted Friday on X focused primarily on Sweden. The coverage highlighted the experience of a Somali immigrant living in Sweden who has taken up snowboarding recreationally, despite not competing at an elite or professional level.

In the video narration, AP stated that immigration from Africa and the Middle East has altered the demographics of Europe’s major winter sports countries, but that those changes “haven’t really translated to their largely white rosters heading to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.” The narrator pointed specifically to Sweden, noting that its Olympic team is “almost entirely made up of ethnically Swedish athletes,” which the report said does not reflect the country’s broader diversity following decades of asylum admissions.

The article followed Maryan Hashi, a Somali woman who began snowboarding after immigrating to Sweden. AP described her initial discomfort participating in the sport and framed snowboarding as a means of integration into Swedish society. Hashi expressed hope that more migrants would be able to experience winter sports in a similar way.

The report went on to argue that while Europe’s growing diversity is evident in sports such as soccer, it has “not made a dent in winter sports.” Looking ahead to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, scheduled for Feb. 6–22, AP noted that Sweden’s delegation would be composed almost entirely of ethnically Swedish athletes. The outlet described New York Rangers star Mika Zibanejad, who was born in Sweden to an Iranian father and Finnish mother, as a “rare exception” on the Swedish men’s ice hockey team.

AP further observed that other European winter sports powers, including France, Germany, and Switzerland, field Olympic rosters that are “overwhelmingly white” and lack the immigrant representation seen in sports like soccer or basketball. The video accompanying the article suggested that economic barriers, geographic distance from mountain regions, and high costs associated with winter sports limit participation among immigrant communities. While acknowledging that countries such as Sweden offer programs providing free equipment and access for children, the author argued that more needs to be done to improve accessibility for immigrants and “underserved groups.”

The coverage quickly prompted criticism on social media. Sarah Rogers, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the Trump administration, responded to the AP video on X, questioning the premise of the report and criticizing the media’s focus. Conservative activist Robby Starbuck also weighed in, drawing comparisons to racial demographics in American professional sports leagues such as the NBA and NFL.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, African Americans make up roughly 14% of the U.S. population, while NBA players and NFL defensive players are predominantly black. In Sweden, about 73% of the population identifies as ethnically Swedish, according to Statistics Sweden, based on 2022 data. Less than one percent of Sweden’s population is of Somali descent.

As of Sunday afternoon, the critical replies from Rogers and Starbuck had received substantially more engagement on X than the AP video itself, underscoring the intensity of the backlash and the broader debate over representation, demographics, and the role of media narratives in sports coverage.

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