British skier Gus Kenworthy to avoid censure over graphic anti-ICE message
Kenworthy, who is preparing to compete at the Winter Olympics, apparently urinated the words into the snow.
British freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy will not face censure for an obscene social media image he posted just hours before arriving at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina.
The image shows the words ‘f*** ice’, apparently urinated into the snow, in a direct attack on the controversial United States immigration and customs enforcement agency.
Kenworthy, who was born in Chelmsford but has lived in the US for most of his life, also posted a message urging US citizens to pressure their respective senators to deny funding for the agency.
The Press Association understands British Olympic Association officials are unconcerned by the post because it does not reference Team GB and it was posted outside the Olympic environment.
He will not find himself in trouble with the International Olympic Committee either.
An IOC spokesperson said: “During the Olympic Games, all participants have the opportunity to express their views as per the athlete expression guidelines. The IOC does not regulate personal social media posts.”
Kenworthy wrote alongside the image: “Innocent people have been murdered, and enough is enough. We can’t wait around while ICE continues to operate with unchecked power in our communities.”
He added in a subsequent post: “My last post was pee so it only felt appropriate to follow it up with a lil’ dump… of photos from January. Yes, I’m a child.”
US vice-president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio are in Milan Friday night’s opening ceremony at the San Siro stadium and watched their team’s opening men’s ice hockey match on Thursday.
The build-up to the Games was marred by protests over the reported presence of ICE agents in the city as part of the wider US delegation.
Kenworthy, 34, won a silver medal in ski slopestyle at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi whilst representing the US, as well as five medals at the prestigious X Games.
He switched to represent Great Britain in 2019, competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, during which he voiced criticism of China’s human rights record and its record on LGBT issues.
Kenworthy is set to compete in the men’s snowboard halfpipe competition in Livigno, for which qualifying begins on February 19.
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