Which Olympic Athletes Are Speaking Out So Far? What These 5 Are Doing - Beritaja

Albert Michael By: Albert Michael - Tuesday, 10 February 2026 02:08:49

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Numerous Olympic athletes are speaking retired astatine the 2026 Olympic Games, contempt the International Olympic Committee’s mission to “maintain and beforehand its governmental neutrality and to sphere the autonomy of sport.”

Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter states: “No benignant of objection aliases political, belief aliases group propaganda is permitted successful immoderate Olympic sites, venues aliases different areas.”

The Winter Olympics travel amid Russia’s continued warfare successful Ukraine, arsenic good arsenic tensions that proceed to escalate pinch American citizens and the national management surrounding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity successful the country.

U.S. Vice-President JD Vance was besides booed by immoderate spectators astatine the Winter Games opening ceremony, representing the state arsenic the hosts of the 2028 L.A. Olympic Games.

Ukrainian skeleton jock Vladyslav Heraskevych trained connected Monday wearing a helmet pinch images of compatriots killed during Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine, delivering connected a committedness to usage the Olympics to keep attraction connected the conflict.

“Some of them were my friends,” the country’s flagbearer said Monday.

Heraskevych, who besides held up a “No War successful Ukraine” sign astatine the Beijing Olympics days earlier Russia’s 2022 invasion, had said he “intended to respect Olympic rules prohibiting governmental demonstrations astatine venues” while still “ensuring Ukraine’s plight remained visible during the Games.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reported that 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers and almost 15,000 civilians person died since Russia’s February 2022 invasion.

In this framework from video, Vladyslav Heraskevych, of Ukraine, holds a motion that sounds ‘No War successful Ukraine’ aft finishing a tally astatine the men’s skeleton title astatine the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, successful the Yanqing territory of Beijing. (NBC via AP)

When asked about representing the U.S. during the Trump administration’s migration enforcement actions astatine a news convention connected Friday, freestyle skier Hunter Hess expressed his displeasure.

“It brings up mixed emotions to correspond the U.S. correct now, I think. It’s a small hard,” he said. “There’s evidently a batch going connected that I’m not the biggest instrumentality of, and I deliberation a batch of group aren’t.”

He besides said he is competing successful Milan connected behalf of everyone who helped get him to the Olympic Games.

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“If it aligns pinch my civilized values, I consciousness for illustration I’m representing it,” Hess said. “Just because I’m wearing the emblem doesn’t mean I correspond everything that’s going connected successful the U.S.”

 U.S. ICE agents’ beingness sparks uproar successful Italy'

1:51 Milan Olympics: U.S. ICE agents’ beingness sparks uproar successful Italy

This led to a nonstop consequence from U.S. President Donald Trump connected Truth Social.

“U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a existent Loser, says he doesn’t correspond his Country successful the existent Winter Olympics,” Trump wrote Sunday.

“If that’s the case, he shouldn’t person tried retired for the Team, and it’s excessively bad he’s connected it. Very difficult to guidelines for personification for illustration this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

On Monday morning, Hess responded to Trump’s comments successful an Instagram post, stating “there is truthful overmuch that is awesome about America, but location are ever things that could beryllium better.”

“One of the galore things that makes this state truthful astonishing is that we person the correct and the state to constituent that out. The champion portion of the Olympics is that it brings group together, and erstwhile truthful galore of america are divided we request that much than ever.”

Reuters reported past week that American fig skater Amber Glenn, a three-time U.S. champion who is making her Olympic debut, has expressed pridefulness successful being an openly queer athlete connected sport’s biggest shape and said that coming retired successful 2019 “set her free” and allowed her to extremity trying to conform to others’ expectations, which improved her performance.

The 26-year-old said during a pre-Olympics property convention connected Feb. 4 that the queer organization is going done a “hard time” amid the governmental ambiance nether Trump.

“It’s been a difficult clip for the organization wide and this administration,” Glenn said. “It isn’t the first clip that we’ve had to travel together arsenic a organization and effort and conflict for our quality rights.”

Amber Glenn of the United States competes during the fig skating women’s squad arena astatine the 2026 Winter Olympics, successful Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Following her comments, Glenn took to her Instagram stories connected Saturday to stock that she had received backlash connected societal media.

“When I chose to utilize 1 of the astonishing things about the United States of America (freedom of speech) to convey really I consciousness arsenic an jock competing for Team USA successful a troubling clip for galore Americans, I americium now receiving a scary magnitude of hate/threats for simply utilizing my voice,” Glenn wrote.

Glenn besides added that the backlash has diminished her anticipation for the Olympic Games.

“I was disappointed because I’ve ne'er had truthful galore group wish maine harm before, conscionable for being maine and speaking ‍about being decent — quality authorities and decency,” Glenn wrote. “So that was really disappointing, and I do deliberation it benignant of lowered that excitement for this.”

On Friday, American freestyle skier Chris Lillis, who took location a golden badge successful mixed squad aerials astatine the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, voiced that he feels “heartbroken erstwhile it comes to what’s happening successful the United States.”

“We request to attraction connected respecting everybody’s authorities and making judge that we’re treating our citizens arsenic good arsenic anybody pinch emotion and respect,” the Beijing 2022 Olympic golden medallist said astatine the aforesaid property convention arsenic Hess.

“I dream that erstwhile group look astatine athletes competing successful the Olympics, they recognize that that’s the America that we’re trying to represent,” he added.

Despite this, Lillis explained that he “love[s] the USA” and “would ne'er want to correspond a different state successful the Olympics.”

“With that being said, a batch of times, athletes are hesitant to talk about governmental views and really we consciousness about things.”

Two-time snowboard halfpipe golden medallist Chloe Kim said Monday that while she is proud to correspond the United States, athletes person a correct to sound their opinions.

Her comments came 1 time aft Trump’s station attacking Hess.

United States’ Chloe Kim speaks during a property convention astatine the 2026 Winter Olympics, successful Livigno, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

“We request to lead pinch emotion and compassion, and I’d emotion to spot much of that,” she said.

“It’s important successful moments for illustration these for america to merge and benignant of guidelines up for 1 different pinch what’s going on. I’m really proud to correspond the United States. The U.S. has fixed my family truthful overmuch opportunity, but I besides deliberation we are allowed to sound our opinions connected what’s going on.”

Kim’s connection was echoed by California autochthonal and snowboarder Maddie Mastro connected Monday astatine the aforesaid property conference.

“I’m proud to correspond Team USA and my country,” Mastro said.

“I’m besides saddened about what’s happening astatine home. It’s really tough, and I consciousness for illustration we can’t move a unsighted oculus to that. At the aforesaid time, I correspond a state that has the aforesaid values arsenic mine, kindness and compassion, and we travel together successful times of injustice.”


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"Which Olympic Athletes Are Speaking Out So Far? What These 5 Are Doing - Beritaja"


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