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.”
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.”
Cross-country ski gold medalist Jessie Diggins felt the need to clarify which aspects of America she was representing at the Milan Cortina Games.
