As the Winter Olympics begin in Italy, some Team USA athletes are talking about politics back home

As the Winter Olympics officially begin in Italy, some Team USA athletes they share their thoughts on representing the United States in the midst of a tumultuous political climate.

For the most part, American athletes speak generally about their opinions, avoiding direct criticism of any individuals or organizations.

“I love the USA, and I think I would never want to represent a different country in the Olympics. That being said, you know, many times athletes hesitate to talk about political views and how we feel about things. I feel sad about what happened in the United States,” said Team USA freestyle skater Chris Lillis told reporters on Friday in response to questions. refers to the actions of ICE in Minneapolis and protests against them.

“I think that as a country, we need to focus on respecting the rights of everyone and making sure that we treat our citizens and everyone with love and respect,” said Lillis. “And I hope that when people look at the athletes who will compete in the Olympics, they see that this is America that we are trying to represent.

Hunter Hess, another freestyle skater on Team USA, said his feelings about representing the US at the international level are complicated by the country’s political climate.

“I think it brings mixed feelings to represent the US at the moment, I think. It’s a little difficult. Obviously there’s a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan, and I think a lot of people are not like that. I think for me it’s more than that I represent my family, like friends, my family at home, the people who represented it before me, all the good things about the US, “You believe everything that I believe.” Just because I wear the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that happens in the US. So, yeah, I just want to do it like my friends and my family and the people who supported me to get here.”

On Wednesday, Texan figure skating champion Amber Glenn, who will compete in her first Olympics with Team USA, said America’s LGBTQ community it struggled 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 that we’ve had to come together as a community and try to fight for our human rights, and now especially, it’s not just affecting the mahlonga community, but many other communities, and I think we’re able to support each other in a way that we didn’t have to do before, and because of that, it’s made us a lot stronger.”

“I hope I can use my platform and my voice in all these games to try to encourage people to stay strong in these difficult times,” said Glenn. “I know that many people say that you are just a player, stay at your job, shut up about politics, but politics affects us all. It is something that I will not be silent about because it is something that affects us every day. So there are things that I do not agree with, but we are a community, we are strong and we support each other, and brighter days are coming to us.”

Gus Kenworthywho competes for the United Kingdom in the Olympics but has dual UK and US citizenship and has competed for Team USA, posted a photo earlier this week of a clear message condemning ICE on social media. The message was written in urine on the snow.

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

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

When asked if Kenworthy would be punished for the message, a spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee told the British Press Association that the organization “does not control social media posts.”

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

In addition to domestic policies, many of President Trump’s actions have sparked outrage abroad, including his recent threats to annex Greenland.

At the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday, Vice President JD Vance received both cheers and boos from the field.

Sarah Hirschland, CEO of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said earlier this week that members of Team USA have prepared for a possible mixed reception from international crowds during the Games.

“We don’t expect a lot of negative energy on the field of play, but we’ve done a lot of preparation for the games with the athletes to make sure they feel comfortable and don’t walk into an uncertain environment,” Hirschland said. “They know what resources are available in the event of an emergency.”