India, Jan. 24 -- Few moments involving an Olympic dispute can feel as personal as this one over Katie Uhlaender at age 41 years, after more than two decades of competing on the ice, American skeleton racer Uhlaender isn't just seeking a place on the team-she's fighting a principle: that it should be based on performance, not manipulation. One event at Lake Placid has ignited an international conversation, entailed Olympic officials and led the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee to seek extraordinary action ahead of the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.

Katie Uhlaender has been a stalwart presence in the American sliding sports since time immemorial. Born on July 17, 1984, carrying the U.S. flag in five Winter Games and competing i...