ANTERSELVA, Italy, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Greenland's athletes competing at the Milano Cortina Games send a positive message about its youth and people's support amid U.S. President Donald Trump's desire to take it over, the island's culture minister said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Sondre Slettemark came in 62nd in the men's 20 km individual biathlon race and on Wednesday it was the turn of his older sister, Ukaleq, who competed in the women's 15 km biathlon as Greenlandic minister Nivi Olsen watched proudly from the grandstand.
"It means a lot when everyone is supporting us. It's the way to show Trump that we're not standing alone, that the whole world is standing with us. And I think it's very important to show him that we are people who are respected," Olsen told Reuters after presenting Ukaleq Slettemark with the Greenland flag.
"It's wonderful, I'm so proud. I'm so happy to be here to support her and her brother."
Trump says the U.S. needs Greenland for national security but has backed away from threats to seize the island by force and withdrawn proposed tariffs on countries that oppose annexation.
As Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, does not have its own Olympic committee, the Slettemarks compete under the Danish flag, but between the minister and her entourage, there was plenty of support in evidence.
The biathlon-mad crowd at the Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena cheered wildly as Ukaleq Slettemark felled her first 15 targets in a row, missing only one of her 20 shots as she came in 52nd of the 90 starters.
"I mean, we probably have the biggest percentage of the population represented here at the stands!" Ukaleq Slettemark told Reuters, laughing.
"It's amazing. Honestly, it's not that often that people come all the way to watch but I just feel so supported while I'm here and seeing the Greenlandic flags on the stadium is it's incredible."
While both excellent on the shooting range, the Greenlandic siblings are often left behind when it comes to the skiing, but Ukaleq Slettemark feels that she has more to offer on the snow and the shooting range in northern Italy.
"I mean, if I can keep having this confidence into the next sprint, then yeah. I'm on a high now. So I will try to take that into the next competitions," she said.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Alison Williams)
