Featured Image Credit: Instagram/guskenworthy
Topics: Immigration, Social Media, Olympics, Sport
William Morgan
Topics: Immigration, Social Media, Olympics, Sport
A competitor in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics has received a deluge of online death threats after he posted an anti-ICE message on Instagram.
Team GB skier Gus Kenworthy, who previously won a silver medal for the USA at the Sochi games in 2014, shared a picture of the words 'f**k ICE' painted in the snow with what appeared to be urine, a week before the games began.
But after a difficult two weeks, the 34-year-old, who has lived in America for most of his life but switched sporting allegiance to the country of his birth in 2019, has spoken out on Instagram about the 'awful' response he received.
Freestyle skier Kenworthy, who will be competing at the Olympics next week in Livigno, shared that he had made the statement as a resident and because he cares 'about the US and I care about what's happening there'.
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Recounting the cause of the wave of abusive messages, on Sunday night, he said: "The other day I posted a photo with my thoughts on ICE, and that photo has since gone everywhere, it's been shared all over the place.
"I've gotten a ton of messages, most of them honestly have been supportive... but a lot of the messages have been awful."
The British Olympic Association has since confirmed to the Guardian that additional support services have been put in place for the athlete in the wake of the online abuse, including help with threats of harm over social media.
Kenworthy shared some of the abuse he had suffered, saying in his Instagram post that there were 'people telling me to kill myself, threatening me,' and adding that some were even 'wishing that they'll get to see me blow my knee or break my neck during the event.'
He called the torrent of hate he had received 'insane' and argued, 'that's the price you pay for speaking up and using your platform'. But while the Olympian admitted making another video could invite more hate and vitriol', he said it was important to stand up for what you believe in.
This meant Kenworthy doubling down on his 'f**k ICE' message, adding that the Trump administration's wave of masked immigration enforcement and deportations over the past 12 months were 'absolutely evil and awful and terrifying'.
Pointing to the broad daylight killings of mom Renee Good and nurse Alex Pretti, the skier added: "There have been US citizens that have been murdered in the street, executed in the street.
"And the officers are essentially acting with impunity because their identities are covered. There’s no accountability. It’s really scary.”