Winter Olympians expressed mixed feelings about competing for the United States as they criticized upheaval back home that includes ICE raids against immigrants.
“It’s a little hard,” freeski halfpipe competitor Hunter Hess said, USA Today reported on Friday. “There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of. Wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything going on in the U.S.”
Hunter Hess said he doesn’t represent “everything going on in the U.S.”
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Aerials freestyle skier Chris Lillis also told USA Today he felt conflicted, telling the newspaper that he’s “proud to represent our country” but “heartbroken” over the immigration crackdowns.
“I love the USA and I think I would never want to represent a different country in the Olympics,” said Lillis, a gold medalist at Beijing 2022. “With 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’s happened in the United States. … I think that as a country we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect.”
Chris Lillis isn’t head over heels about U.S. immigration policies.
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Cross-country ski gold medalist Jessie Diggins felt the need to clarify which aspects of America she was representing at the Milan Cortina Games.
“I want to make sure you know who I’m racing for when I get to the start line at the Olympics,” she wrote on Instagram recently. “I’m racing for an American people who stand for love, for acceptance, for compassion, honesty and respect for others. I do not stand for hate or violence or discrimination.”
“I get to decide who I’m racing for every single day, and how I want to live up to my values,” she continued. “For everyone out there caring for others, protecting their neighbors and meeting people with love – every single step is for you. YOU are the ones who make me proud to carry the flag, and I hope I can bring you joy over these next few weeks.”
Jessie Diggins recently posted on Instagram, “I do not stand for hate or violence or discrimination.”
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Team USA women’s hockey player Kelly Pannek took a more direct route to criticizing the Trump administration. NPR reported that she called the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement, which has also resulted in two protester deaths in Minnesota, “unnecessary and just horrifying.”
“It’s obviously really heavy,” said Pannek, who is from the Minneapolis area. “What I’m most proud to represent is the tens of thousands of people that show up on some of the coldest days of the year to stand and fight for what they believe in.”
Kelly Pannek (#12) competes for the puck in the American’s opening-round victory over Czechia.
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Figure skater Amber Glenn, who discussed her journey to coming out as bisexual and pansexual before the Games, ripped Trump and Co. this week.
“It’s been a hard time for the [LGBTQ+] community overall in this administration,” she said, Reuters reported. “It isn’t the first time that we’ve had to come together as a community and try and fight for our human rights. And now especially, it’s not just affecting the queer community, but many other communities, and I think that we are able to support each other in a way that we didn’t have to before, and because of that, it’s made us a lot stronger.”
“I know that a lot of people say you’re just an athlete, like, stick to your job, shut up about politics, but politics affect us all,” she added. “It is something that I will not just be quiet about because it is something that affects us in our everyday lives. So of course, there are things that I disagree with, but as a community, we are strong and we support each other, and brighter days are ahead of us.”
