A participant in the upcoming 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics has been inundated with death threats online after posting a message critical of ICE on Instagram.
Gus Kenworthy, a skier for Team GB who previously secured a silver medal for the USA at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014, posted an image showing the phrase ‘f**k ICE’ crafted in the snow, seemingly with urine, shortly before the games were set to begin.
After experiencing a challenging fortnight, the 34-year-old, who has spent most of his life in the United States but opted to represent the UK, his birth nation, in 2019, addressed the negative reaction he faced on Instagram, describing it as ‘awful’.
Kenworthy, who is set to compete in next week’s Olympic events in Livigno, explained that his statement was made out of concern for the US as a resident who is deeply affected by the current events there.
Speaking out about the backlash 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 confirmed to the Guardian that they have implemented additional support services for Kenworthy following the online abuse, including assistance with handling social media threats.
In his Instagram post, Kenworthy shared examples of the harassment he faced, noting that some messages urged him to harm himself, while others threatened him or expressed hopes that he would suffer an injury during the event.
Kenworthy described the overwhelming negativity as ‘insane’ and remarked that it’s a consequence of speaking up and utilizing his platform. Although he acknowledged that posting another video might bring more hostility, he emphasized the importance of defending one’s beliefs.
He reiterated his ‘f**k ICE’ stance, criticizing the Trump administration’s recent immigration enforcement and deportation activities as ‘absolutely evil and awful and terrifying’.
Highlighting cases like the killings of Renee Good and nurse Alex Pretti, Kenworthy noted: “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.”