MILAN — As 232 athletes represent the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina while political volatility and unrest divides their country back home, many American Olympians are experiencing ‘mixed emotions.’
‘It’s a little hard. There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of,’ American freestyle halfpipe skier Hunter Hess said on Friday, ahead of the opening ceremony. ‘Wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.’
Like Hess, U.S. aerials freestyle skier Chris Lillis feels conflicted about wearing red, white and blue. He told USA TODAY Sports that he’s ‘proud to represent our country’ on one hand, while simultaneously being ‘heartbroken’ over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and crackdowns taking place across the country. He proves that joy and pride can coexist with uncertainty, but Lillis said his participation shouldn’t be mistaken for complicity.
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‘I love the USA and I think I would never want to represent a different country in the Olympics,’ said Lillis, who won gold in the mixed team aerials event in Beijing in 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.’
Lillis hopes to use the global platform provided by the 2026 Winter Olympics to showcase ‘the America that we’re trying to represent’ beyond the headlines. It’s the same sentiment U.S. hockey star Hilary Knight has carried into her fifth and final Olympic Games. She said the U.S. women’s national hockey is ‘America’s team in the best way’ and chooses to embrace all the good in the country.
‘What we stand for … We just hold on to that,’ Knight said Thursday after Team USA’s 5-1 win over Czechia, a preliminary matchup attended by U.S. Vice President JD Vance. ‘Whatever political climate is going on, we’re just trying to have a positive impact through our play and obviously show up and represent our country to the best of our ability. We are proud Americans, and there is great unity that we can find through sport together.”
Following her short program in the team figure skating event on Friday, reigning world champion Alysa Liu said U.S. Olympians have the opportunity to ‘show what American citizens are and who we are.’
‘I just want us to share stories, because I think we’re all very unique, and I think that’s what it’s about,’ added Liu, who has shared anti-ICE messages to her 354K followers on Instagram.
The Olympic Games promotes respect and inclusion through sports, a motto that two-time Olympic medalist halfpipe freeskier Alex Ferreira hopes can be adopted in the United States: ‘The Olympics represent peace, so let’s not only bring world peace, but domestic peace within our country as well.’
‘The political divide in the United States is very prevalent, and competition sports is always a way to bring people together ‘ added Quinn Dehlinger. ‘I think that this is just a great way to show one country.’
Halfpipe freeskier Birk Irving said competing for the U.S. at his second Games is a ‘special experience’ and noted that he’s representing his own values and the ‘community at home and those that have given us the opportunities to be here.’
Hess added, ‘I’m representing my friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S., I just think if it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it.’
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