Ukaleq Astri Slettemark speaks out about the world’s most powerful man. Perhaps not surprisingly, as he has expressed intentions concerning her homeland. Ukaleq competes for Greenland in the Biathlon World Cup.

Ukaleq Astri Slettemark and her brother Sondre are two of the 57,000 inhabitants of the world’s largest island. They are also the country’s top biathletes and compete regularly in the World Cup and the IBU Cup for Greenland.

Now they are reacting to Donald Trump’s repeated statements that “the USA needs Greenland.” They are planning a possible demonstration against Trump and the United States during the Olympic Games in Italy in February. There, they will compete for Denmark.

“We talk about it a lot, and I’m absolutely furious. Donald Trump is a huge idiot. He has no understanding of our culture and what kind of society Greenland is. I think it’s really scary, and we imagine the worst-case scenarios,” says Ukaleq Astri Slettemark to DR.

The Slettemark siblings have a Greenlandic mother (Uiloq) and a Norwegian father (Øystein). They have always competed for their homeland but have also had their base in Geilo.

Competing at the Olympics for Denmark

Greenland is not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games, as it is not recognized as an independent country by the United Nations. Therefore, they will represent Denmark, since Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

“We will compete for Denmark under the Danish flag. It will be extra special this year to mark that we are a Commonwealth. It is important that we have Denmark as our safe haven and that we can cooperate well. We must send a clear signal to the USA that we do not have the slightest desire to be part of the USA,” says Ukaleq Astri Slettemark and adds:

“It is important that we show that Greenland and Denmark stand together.”

She now admits that all of this takes a lot of energy and leads to many thoughts about what might happen in the future. Ukaleq became junior world champion in 2019 and is now 24 years old. Although she is not among the very best, she has made more than 30 World Cup starts.

Donald Trump’s statements have pushed Slettemark to the barricades in defense of her homeland. They want to preserve the freedom and pride they have today.

“My aunt is having trouble sleeping at night. My mom, yesterday, she broke down at the stadium crying because she’s so afraid,” says to AP the 24-year-old Ukaleq, who is planning to make her stance clear during the Olympic Games in Anterselva.