Americans are threatening to boycott the Olympics after some Team USA members expressed “mixed emotions” about representing the Stars and Stripes.
Freestyle skier Hunter Hess ignited the firestorm Friday after telling reporters that wearing the American flag doesn’t mean he backs everything “going on” in the US.
“It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now,” Hess said at a press conference ahead of competition.
“It’s a little hard, there’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of and I think a lot of people aren’t,” he added. “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the US”
The remarks quickly ricocheted across social media, where critics accused the Olympian of trashing the country he’s supposed to represent and vowed to boycott the Games.
“This privileged athlete’s comments clearly show that he puts himself far above his country in this competition,” one user on X wrote. “His comments are an insult to Team USA and the spirit of the Olympics. Cut.”
Another fumed that Hess’ “whole purpose in being there is to REPRESENT the USA,” adding that if he has mixed feelings, “there are other skiers that would love to be there.”
Hess, 27, is a veteran of the U.S. freestyle circuit, hailing from Bend, Oregon, with multiple World Cup and X Games podiums. He has been on the national team since 2017 and competes in the halfpipe.
Fellow freestyle skier Chris Lillis, an Olympic gold medalist from Rochester, N.Y., also weighed in, tying his frustration to immigration enforcement and protests back home.
“I’m heartbroken about what’s happening in the United States,” Lillis said. “I think that as a country we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we are treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect.”
“I hope that when people look at athletes compete in the Olympics they realize that that’s the America that we’re trying to represent,” he added.
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