U.S. Luge Athlete Looking for a Boyfriend in Olympic Village... Publicly Appeals, Calling Herself a "Attractive Woman"

First Winter Olympics, declares a "romance goal"
Mixed reactions: praise for being "confident" vs. criticism for "just here to have fun"

As the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics have opened, a female athlete who has publicly declared that she intends to find a romantic partner in the Olympic Village has become a hot topic.

USA Today in the United States and The Sun in the United Kingdom recently reported that U.S. women's luge representative Sophia Kirkby, 24, made a public proposal on social media (SNS) before the opening of the Games, saying she wanted to "go on a fun date with someone who is really kind and polite ahead of Valentine's Day."

Kirkby Sophia, the U.S. women's luge representative who made headlines at the Olympics for a public proposal. Screenshot from Kirkby Sophia's social media.

In a video posted on her social media, Kirkby introduced herself as "the most attractive single woman in the athletes' village" and said, "I will show you how athletes date at the Olympics." She added that "if I can't find a match among the athletes, I'm open to going on a date with a fan," noting that she would be happy to have a cappuccino with a fan or enjoy an Aperol Spritz (an orange-colored aperitif cocktail popular in Italy) with a fellow athlete on a date.

Kirkby has continued to upload related content even after the opening ceremony on February 7. Alongside footage of the athletes' parade, she joked, "Maybe I just walked past my future partner," and she also released a short video in which a volunteer offers to set her up on a date.

Competing in women's doubles luge, a new event at these Games, Kirkby plans to start actively using dating apps and look for a date after she finishes her races. She showed a realistic attitude, saying, "Just because you're going to the Olympics doesn't mean men suddenly become different. First, I want to have coffee and make sure he's not a weird person."

Kirkby Sofia, the American women's luge representative who made headlines at the Olympics for a public proposal. Screenshot from Kirkby Sofia's social media.

Content related to Kirkby has also been posted in collaboration with the official Olympic accounts, and she has announced that during the Games she will share the progress of her love life through social media and diary-style posts.

Among fans, reactions have been mixed, with messages of support such as "She's confident" and "I hope she meets someone nice," alongside criticism like "The Olympics are not for dating" and "She should focus on the competition."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.