Representing the Red, White and Blue Is Complicated for Some Olympians

The Washington Post

14:39 JST, February 8, 2026

BORMIO, Italy – Hunter Hess has waited a lifetime for this moment.

The 27-year-old freestyle skier failed to qualify for the 2022 Olympic Games after a knee injury derailed his bid for Beijing. Next week at the Milan Cortina Games, he is finally set to drop into the Olympic halfpipe, wearing the uniform he has imagined since he was a kid.

The excitement is real. But it isn’t the only feeling.

“It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think,” Hess said. “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.”

For some American Olympians, wearing red, white and blue has rarely felt more complicated. Many say they have been forced to ask themselves what their country represents, what they represent as individuals, and how to reconcile the distance between the two.

“For me, it’s more I’m representing my friends and family back home … all the things I believe are good about the U.S.,” Hess said. “I think if it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it. Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”

That unease wasn’t confined to conversations among athletes, and tensions found the spotlight at the outset of these Winter Games. During Friday’s Opening Ceremonies, Team USA athletes were cheered as they marched into the stadium. But the crowd quickly turned when Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, appeared on the big screens, and boos filled the stadium.

For many Americans, the backdrop to these Games has been unusually tense. On the global stage, U.S. policy disputes – including disagreements with European allies over tariffs and Arctic strategy – have raised questions about American leadership and strained long-standing partnerships. Meanwhile, back home in the United States, immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis drew widespread outrage after the fatal shootings last month of two U.S. citizens – Renée Good and Alex Pretti – by federal immigration personnel, sparking nationwide protests and debates about federal policing and civil rights.

Like much of the world, Olympians have watched news reports of ICE raids and tried to make sense of what’s happening. For cross-country skier Jessie Diggins, the tension between pride and pain is rooted squarely in home.

“I was born and raised in Minnesota. That’s the community that raised me,” said Diggins, a three-time Olympic medalist competing in her fourth Games.

In recent weeks, she said, it has been difficult to focus solely on skiing while watching events unfold back home. Friends and members of her community have reached out to tell her they’re watching, they’re proud, and that her presence at the Games has mattered to them during a painful moment.

“I think it’s still important to try to race my hardest and bring joy to those people,” she said. “I’m very focused on representing the version of America that’s respectful and loving and caring and open and just looks out for one another. To me, it’s really important to show that to the world and put love and respect and honesty first.”

Athletes from all corners of the world grapple with global perceptions, of course. Israeli athletes, for example, were roundly booed at Friday’s Opening Ceremonies. But Olympians work for years and feel like their journey encompasses something bigger than political policies.

“I think there’s a lot of hardship in the world, globally, and there’s a lot of heartbreak. There’s a lot of violence. It can be tough to reconcile that when you’re also competing for medals in an Olympic event,” said Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, a four-time Olympian. “… I’m really hoping to show up and represent my own values. Values of inclusivity, values of diversity and kindness and sharing, tenacity, work ethic.”

Chris Lillis, the freestyle aerialist who won Olympic gold in Beijing, said he feels that same pull between pride and heartbreak.

“As athletes, we’re proud to represent our country. I love the U.S.A., and I think I would never want to represent a different country in the Olympics,” Lillis said. “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,” he continued. “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. I hope that when people look at athletes competing in the Olympics, they realize that’s the America that we’re trying to represent.”

Sport in many ways is a platform for values. Kelly Pannek, a forward on the U.S. women’s hockey team and a Minnesota native, finished a recent Professional Women’s Hockey League season in St. Paul, Minnesota, and offered a statement before taking a single question.

“It’s obviously really heavy,” Pannek said, becoming choked up. “I think people have been asking a lot of us what it’s like to represent our state and our country. I think what I’m most proud to represent is the tens of thousands of people that show up on some of the coldest days of the year to stand [at protests] and fight for what they believe in.”

The backdrop for those personal reckonings extends well beyond the United States. When news surfaced that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would be in Italy to assist American security efforts at the Games, it sparked protests in Milan and opposition from Italian residents and politicians.

That discomfort filtered into even the most routine elements of the Olympic experience. Three U.S. Olympic bodies – U.S. Figure Skating, USA Hockey and U.S. Speedskating – changed the name of their shared hospitality space from “Ice House” to “Winter House,” aiming to eliminate a potential distraction.

Figure skater Amber Glenn said the change reflected how deeply current events are resonating with athletes.

“It’s unfortunate that the term ‘ice’ isn’t something we can embrace because of what’s happening and the implications of what some individuals are doing,” Glenn told reporters after a practice this week. “Unfortunately, in my own country, it is very upsetting and very distressing to see. A lot of people say, ‘You’re just an athlete. Like, stick to your job, shut up about politics.’ But politics affects us all.”

U.S. Olympic officials said they prepared athletes for the possibility of mixed reactions in Italy, even as they expressed confidence that competition venues would largely remain respectful environments.

“Our experience has been that, more often than not, those spectators who come to watch Olympic competitions have an incredible amount of respect and appreciation for what athletes have achieved,” said Sarah Hirshland, the chief executive of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. “We don’t anticipate a lot of negative energy on the field of play.”

For some athletes, the act of competing itself feels like a way to define what they stand for.

“I’d say our country’s been having issues for 250 years,” said snowboarder Nick Goepper, a four-time Olympian. “I’m here to uphold classic American values of respect, opportunity, freedom, equality and project those to the world.”

Noted Alex Ferreira, a two-time Olympic medalist in freestyle halfpipe skiing: “The Olympics represent peace, so let’s not only bring world peace, but domestic peace within our country as well.”