Some Winter Olympians aren’t all that excited about representing the U.S. amid unrest
Winter Olympians expressed mixed feelings about competing for the United States while criticizing unrest at home that includes ICE raids on immigrants.
“It’s a little difficult,” said freeski halfpipe competitor Hunter Hess, USA Today reported Friday. “There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not a big fan of. Flying the flag doesn’t mean it represents everything that happens in the US.”
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Freestyle skier Chris Lillis also told USA Today that he felt conflicted, telling the newspaper that he is “proud to represent our country” but “heartbroken” by the immigration crackdown.
“I love the United States and I don’t think I would ever want to represent a different country in the Olympics,” said Lillis, a gold medalist at Beijing 2022. “That being said, a lot of times athletes are hesitant to talk about political views and how we feel about things. I feel heartbroken by what happened in the United States… I think as a country we need to focus on respecting everyone’s rights and making sure we treat our citizens, as well as anyone, with love and respect.”
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Cross-country skiing gold medalist Jessie Diggins felt the need to clarify what aspects of the United States she represented at the Milan Cortina Games.
“I want to make sure you know who I’m competing for when I get to the starting line at the Olympics,” she recently wrote on Instagram. “I am running for an American people who stand for love, acceptance, compassion, honesty and respect for others. I do not stand for hate, violence or discrimination.”
“I get to decide who I compete for each day and how I want to live up to my values,” he continued. “To everyone who cares about others, protects your neighbors, and knows people with love: every step is for you. YOU are the ones who make me proud to carry the flag, and I look forward to bringing you joy in the weeks ahead.”
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Team USA hockey player Kelly Pannek took a more direct route to criticize the Trump administration. NPR reported that he called the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement, which also resulted in the deaths of two protesters in Minnesota, “unnecessary and just horrible.”
“It’s obviously very heavy,” said Pannek, who is from the Minneapolis area. “What I am most proud to represent are the tens of thousands of people who show up on some of the coldest days of the year to stand up and fight for what they believe in.”
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Figure skater Amber Glenn, who spoke out about her journey to coming out as bisexual and pansexual before the Games, criticized Trump and company this week.
“It has been a difficult time for the [LGBTQ+] community at large in this administration,” he said, Reuters reported. “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 a lot of other communities, and I think we can support each other in a way that we didn’t have to before, and because of that, it has made us much stronger.”
“I know a lot of people say you’re just an athlete, that you stick to your job and don’t talk about politics, but politics affects us all,” he added. “It’s something I won’t stay silent about because it’s something that affects us in our everyday lives. So of course there are things I don’t agree with, but as a community, we are strong and we support each other, and better days lie ahead.”