As the Winter Olympics begin in Italy, some Team USA athletes talk politics at home

As the Winter Olympics officially begin in Italy, some Team USA Athletes are sharing their thoughts on representing the United States amid a tumultuous political climate.

For the most part, American athletes express their views in general terms, avoiding direct criticism of individuals or organizations.

“I love the United States and I don’t think I would ever want to represent a different country in the Olympics. That being said, a lot of times athletes are hesitant to talk about political views and how we feel about things. I feel heartbroken about what happened in the United States,” Team USA freestyle skier Chris Lillis told reporters in response to questions on Friday. referring to ICE actions in Minneapolis and the protests against them.

“I think as a country we need to focus on respecting everyone’s rights and making sure we treat our citizens and anyone with love and respect,” Lillis said. “And I hope that when people look at the athletes competing in the Olympics, they realize that’s the country we’re trying to represent.”

Hunter Hess, another freestyle skier on the U.S. team, said his feelings about representing the U.S. on the international stage were complicated because of the domestic political situation.

“I think it brings mixed emotions to represent America right now, I think. It’s a little difficult. There’s obviously a lot of things going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t. I think for me it’s more about representing my friends and family back home, the people who represented them before me, all the things that I think are good about America,” Hess said. “I just think that if it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it. Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean it represents everything that’s going on in the U.S. So yeah, I just want to do it for my friends and my family and the people who supported me to get here.”

On Wednesday, Texas figure skating champion Amber Glenn, who will compete in her first Olympics with Team USA, said she American LGBTQ community was struggling under the Trump administration.

“It’s been a difficult time for the (LGBTQ) community in general in this administration,” Glenn told reporters. “It’s not the first time we’ve had to come together as a community and try to fight for our human rights, and now especially, it’s not only affecting the queer community, but many other communities, and I think we can support each other in a way that we didn’t have before, and because of that, it has made us much stronger.”

“I hope I can use my platform and my voice during these Games to try to encourage people to stay strong in these difficult times,” Glenn said. “I know a lot of people say that you’re just an athlete, that you stick to your job and don’t talk about politics, but politics affects all of us. It’s something that I won’t stay silent about because it’s something that affects us in our daily lives. So, of course, there are things that I don’t agree with, but as a community, we are strong and we support each other, and better days lie ahead.”

Gus Kenworthywho is competing for the United Kingdom in these Olympics but has dual British and American citizenship and previously competed for the US team, posted a photo earlier this week of an explicit message condemning ICE on social media. The message was written with urine in the snow.

In the caption, Kenworthy posted a script for Americans to use when calling their elected representatives to speak out against funding ICE and the Border Patrol.

“Innocent people have been murdered and enough is enough. We cannot wait while ICE continues to operate with unchecked power in our communities,” the caption continued.

When asked if Kenworthy would be disciplined for the post, a spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee told Britain’s Press Association that the organization “does not regulate personal posts on social media.”

“During the Olympic Games, all participants have the opportunity to express their views according to the athletes’ expression guidelines,” the spokesperson said.

In addition to domestic policies, a series of actions taken by President Trump have sparked outrage abroad, including his recent threats to take control of Greenland.

At Friday’s Olympic opening ceremony, Vice President J.D. Vance He received applause and boos in the arena.

Sarah Hirschland, executive director of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said earlier this week that members of the United States team had prepared for possible mixed receptions from international crowds during the Games.

“We don’t anticipate a lot of negative energy on the field, but we have done a lot of preparation for the Games with the athletes to make sure they feel comfortable and don’t enter an uncertain environment,” Hirschland said. “They know the resources available if an uncomfortable situation arises.”