Sometimes a Competitor, Always a Supporter: Siblings Fill Multiple Roles at Olympics

At least 76 pairs of siblings have participated in Beijing, turning the Winter Games into a family affair with nearly 5% of the total athlete headcount.

BEIJING — Christian and Scott Gow have been together since Day One, if not in birth then at least in biathlon. Now 31 and 28 years old, respectively, the Canadian brothers first signed up for the sport at the same summer camp. They have trained together at the same facilities, raced together at the same events, reached the World Cup circuit at the same time and, most recently, finished sixth in the men’s 4x7.5-kilometer relay at the 2022 Winter Olympics together.

“We’ve been able to experience quite a bit together,“ Christian says. “I can’t imagine what it’d be like to be apart, because we literally never have. Much more boring, I would think.”

The invisible coronavirus has impacted these Beijing Games in many tangible ways. Barriers and security guards surround every competition venue and hotel, separating thousands of “closed loop” attendees from the outside world. Throat-tickling PCR tests are mandatory every morning, while digital temperature checks and sanitizer-spritzing volunteers wait inside every doorway. And while a small contingent of loved ones—mom, dad, little brother, grandma and one of their cousins—were able to travel to PyeongChang to cheer on the Gow brothers four years ago, pandemic protocols have put the kibosh on any sort of kin attending in Beijing.

All of which makes it that much more special for the Gows to have each other. “Under these circumstances, where he’s the only family contact I’ve had over the last several months, it’s a big boost,” Scott says. 

Christian Gow, center, and Scott Gow, right, celebrate after the men's 15-kilometer biathlon :: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

And they are far from alone: By one unofficial count conducted by Sports Illustrated, with help from Olympic researchers and databases, at least 76 pairs of siblings, or nearly 5% of the total athlete headcount, have competed in Beijing. And that doesn't include four-plus sets of cousins, two married couples, dozens more in public dating relationships and China's controversial star skier Eileen Gu and her manager-mother, Yan Gu.

“No way,” says Canadian snowboarder Darcy Sharpe, brother of freeski halfpipe silver medalist Cassie Sharpe, when informed of the projected total. “I came here and everyone was like, 'This is such a rare thing!’ But I guess it does maybe run in genetics. And definitely there’s something to be said about having all these shared experiences that elevates both of you.”

To that end, it has been a banner three weeks for sibling success. A whopping four brother-sister pairs populated the Danish men’s and women’s ice hockey teams that each made its Olympic debut. Finnish cross-country skier Iivo Niskanen won gold in the men’s 15km classic one day after sister Kerttu took silver in the women’s 10km, while Hannah and Elvira Oeberg of Sweden shared first in the women’s 4x6km biathlon relay. None, though, have enjoyed more DNA-centric dominance than the Bø biathlete brothers: Try saying that nine times fast, once for each medal that Johannes Thingnes and Tarjei have combined to bring home to Norway

Norway's Johannes Thingnes Bø, center, and Tarjei Bø, right, pose for a selfie.  :: Aaron Favila/AP

Of course, even those without hardware can appreciate the bonding opportunity. Freestyle skiing sisters Leonie and Makayla Gerken Schofield, for instance, report trawling the athletes’ village for souvenirs in their spare time. They have also been collecting trading pins in an effort to win a Samsung phone for Leonie’s twin brother, Thomas, who himself missed out on competing for Great Britain due to the lingering aftereffects of a concussion suffered last summer.

“There’s a lot of sharing of every aspect of every day,” says U.S. cross-country skier Caitlin Patterson, older sister of U.S. cross-country skier Scott Patterson. “The dining hall scene is definitely a bit overwhelming. It pulls us back to our high school days. I can’t go by myself—that’s scary—so in the morning I’m always texting like, ‘Are you awake yet? I want to go eat!’”

It is also a chance to reflect on the journeys they have taken, and how much their support has meant along the way. For the Sharpe siblings, this was most obvious when they both underwent surgeries for torn ACLs in their left legs three months apart—Darcy in late 2020 and Cassie in early 2021. “It was crappy that we both had to do it, but it was nice that we both had each other,” says Darcy, who finished 12th in snowboarding big air and 23rd in slopestyle qualifying in Beijing. But there are also those countless little struggles that every elite athlete must face on the way to the top.

“Obviously no one sees the amount of tears, the breakdowns, the questions going through your mind that you’ve got no answers to,” Makayla Gerken Schofield says. “I think it’s incredible that the first time we're at the Olympics is together. I was really nervous, getting the call. And when [Leonie] was like, ‘I’m going too,’ I cried my eyes out and said, ‘We're going!’”

To the Gow brothers, this sort of familial support informs the spate of siblings here. “What makes athletes better is when you have a good team to push each other to be better, and when you have a sibling, you have that person around you 24/7,” Scott says. Adds Christian, standing next to Scott in the mixed zone after last week’s 4x7.5km relay: “In any athlete’s career, there's days that are tough when you don’t want to go train. But having someone in your household that you’re seeing on those tough days, you’re motivating each other. I think that’s why you end up having a lot of successful sibling duos, or even sometimes trios.”

Then again, perhaps it easy for the Gows to claim this since they are part of the same national team and, therefore, working towards the same goals in the grand scheme of things. In this regard the Claude brothers have it much less easy: Fabien, who won silver in the 4x7.5km relay, represents their home country of France; Florent, who finished 20th, races for Belgium.