Team GB skier Gus Kenworthy has launched a blistering attack on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers by urinating the words “Fuck Ice” on the snow just before the start of the Winter Olympics.
In a post on Instagram the 34-year-old, who will compete for Team GB in the free-ski half-pipe in Milano Cortina, also urged Americans to write to their senators to “rein in” ICE and border patrol.
“Innocent people have been murdered, and enough is enough,” said Kenworthy. “We can’t wait around while ICE continues to operate with unchecked power in our communities.
“Senators still have leverage right now … and must use it to demand real guardrails and accountability – including getting ICE and CBP [customs and border protection] 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.”
He then doubled down on his message on Friday morning, with another post that said: “My last post was pee so it only felt appropriate to follow it up with a lil’ dump … of photos from January. Yes, I am a child.”
Kenworthy’s comments are particularly notable given that ICE agents are here in Milan as part of the security detail for the US vice president JD Vance, who was attending the opening ceremony. Protesters in Milan carried banners reading “ICE out”, “Fuck ICE”.
However, Kenworthy will not be punished for violating Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter which states “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas,” as he made the post on social media.
An International Olympic Committee media spokesperson confirmed: “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, who was born in Chelmsford but moved to Colorado when his family emigrated while he was two years old, competed for Team US in 2014 and 2018. He then switched his allegiance to Team GB for the last Winter Games in Beijing, finishing eighth, but still lives in the US.
It is not the first time that Kenworthy has spoken out. Before the 2022 Games, he was openly critical of the decision to host the Games in China, citing the country’s human rights record and treatment of the LGBTQ+ community.
Team GB did not comment directly on the post. However, it is understood that they are not concerned as they believe it is a personal opinion on a subject outside of the Olympic Games, and Kenworthy doesn’t invoke Team GB in any way, shape or form.
