The Olympic Games are supposed to be a time of true nationalism, where a country can look towards its athletes, no matter how many, and cheer them on as they compete to bring titles and medals back to their homeland.
As a politically neutral event, an understanding and rule that is upheld to an extent, it should be a utopia of just sport and competition. But how can anything really be neutral when there are divides of values, differences in fundamental beliefs and even war going on hundreds or thousands of miles away from Milan and Cortina, Italy, where thousands of citizens from nations across the globe are exclusively wearing their countries’ flags.
A few freestyle skiers representing the United States have vocalized the battle between wanting to make their nation proud, while also knowing that the nation they are representing is not one they completely agree with.
Olympian and Oregon native Hunter Hess spoke out to the press about his “mixed feelings” representing Team USA, explaining that though he loves his country, he also thinks there are always things that the nation as a whole could be doing better.
President Donald Trump responded to Hess’s interviews and social media posts, calling him “a loser” and “someone hard to root for” because of his criticisms of the U.S.
Hess’s teammate, Chris Lillis, also explained to journalists the moral dilemma he’s having during the games, representing a country that does not completely align with the values of its citizens. Though he emphasized he would never ski under another country’s flag, he also expressed that many athletes fear speaking about politics because they are representing their nation and despite that, he feels “heartbroken” about what is currently happening in the U.S.
This specific interview was directed towards Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s recent actions in Minnesota.
Personally, I am surprised by the lack of political outcry that has happened in the games. Not that I am disappointed by Team USA for keeping a neutral stance and sticking to the sport and true goal of the Olympic Games, to win medals, but as a citizen of the U.S., it feels like everything is about to boil over. As a country, we have been simmering on the brink of a political overflow of who knows what, but it feels like something radical is in the air.
Athletes have also worked their entire lives to get to this point, and whether an athlete is in their late 20s to early 30s and this is their third Olympics or they came even by a lottery ticket and is is carrying the weight of 50 stars and 13 stripes on their back at the age of 17 and has many more games in their future, it cannot be easy to bear the flag with the rest of the world knowing the moral conflict occurring in our borders.
The freestyle skiers are only examples of a larger movement of speaking up for what they feel is right, despite focus on sports that are supposed to remain in the Italian Olympic bubble. But I would not be able to avoid the elephant in the room, the thought that many Americans go back to, despite whatever distraction is in front of them, which is that our country’s administration is not an accurate representation of its people.
It’s hard to feel so nationalistic when this reality looms over me, never mind competing with the motivation the U.S. is rewarded for all of their hard work and talent.
I think it’s hard to criticize members of Team USA for staying quiet because they are focusing on their careers, their health and athletic ability, but also their teammates. However, I hold the athletes who are speaking their truth and using their platforms on the national stage to the highest honor, regardless of whether they are decorated in their sport or not. Speaking up for what they believe is right despite being advised everywhere not to, from Olympic guidelines to insults from their own president on a social media platform, is a gold medal in itself and is something the U.S. as a whole should be proud of.
