A senior member of Team GB has avoided censure from the IOC over a scathing social media post in which he claims to have written “f*** ice” — referring to the United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement — by urinating in the snow.
Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter states it is a “fundamental principle that sport is neutral and must be separate from political, religious or any other type of interference”.
But Gus Kenworthy, a Colorado-based 34-year-old freestyle skier who won Olympic silver for the USA in 2014 but now competes for Great Britain, will face no disciplinary action despite publishing his post on an Instagram account that boasts 1.2million followers.
Kenworthy, who was born in Chelmsford, Essex, and is one of the few openly gay Olympians at the Winter Games here in Milan-Cortina, attached a detailed message to the photograph, urging people to contact their local senator to protest against the actions of immigration officials being blamed for the killings in Minneapolis.
With the US vice-president, JD Vance, due to attend Friday evening’s Olympic opening ceremony accompanied by ICE officers acting as his security detail, there is already significant political tension here in northern Italy.
Giuseppe Sala, the mayor of Milan, described ICE as a “militia that kills”. There were also anti-ICE protests in the city centre before the ceremony, which will feature the American superstar singer-songwriter Mariah Carey.
In his post Kenworthy, who also works as a model and has appeared in several films, wrote: “You can call your Senator at (202) 224-3121 to speak up against ICE and put pressure on them during the current DHS [Department of Homeland Security] funding negotiations.”
Kenworthy won an Olympic silver medal in 2014 when representing the USA at the Sochi Games
MADDIE MEYER/GETTY
He provided a “sample script”, detailing how to communicate objections, suggesting people write: “I’m calling to urge Senator [Name] to refuse to support any final Department of Homeland Security funding agreement that fails to meaningfully rein in ICE and Border Patrol.
“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. Senators still have leverage right now, and Senator [Name] must use it to demand real guardrails and accountability — including getting ICE and CBP out of our communities, ending blank-check funding for brutality, and establishing clear limits on warrantless arrests, profiling, and enforcement at sensitive locations like schools and hospitals.
“Please pass this message along to the Senator.
“Thank you.”
The British Olympic Association has declined to comment, but is understood to be relaxed that Kenworthy has given a personal opinion on a subject that sits outside the Games.
Privately it also makes the point that Kenworthy published the post two days ago, prior to his arrival in Milan.
However, he did double down by issuing a second post in the early hours of Friday. It read: “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.” He then added a poo emoji.
An IOC spokesman 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 was born in Chelmsford but grew up in Colorado after his family emigrated when he was two years old. With an English mother and an American father, he opted to represent the country where he grew up for most of his career.
He won Olympic slopestyle silver in Sochi in 2014 but switched to the British team in 2020 and competed at the Beijing Games four years ago.