Kenworthy ‘mustn’t distract himself’ after ICE post

Team GB skier Gus Kenworthy “must not distract himself” after posting a graphic message about the United States’ immigration and customs enforcement (ICE), says the British Olympic Association (BOA) chief Dame Katherine Grainger.

Kenworthy will not be punished after appearing to urinate a message in the snow about ICE then post a photograph of it online.

Grainger said Kenworthy had the right to express his own views but should not be distracted from competition.

“We have more athletes now who are more outspoken and the IOC are comfortable with athletes expressing an opinion,” Grainger told a press briefing on Saturday.

Grainger said she had not spoken directly to Kenworthy about the message and that she was not aware of his feelings regarding returning to the USA after the Games.

The skier, who lives in the USA but competes for Great Britain, shared the image – in which ‘ICE’ was preceded by an expletive – on Instagram a week before he is due to compete at the Winter Olympics in Italy.

In his Instagram post, Kenworthy said: “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.”

A spokesperson from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told the Press Association on Friday that Kenworthy would not be punished for the post.

The IOC said of Kenworthy’s statement: “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.”

The US said they would send ICE agents to the Games to help support American security operations, prompting anger from the Italian foreign office and citizens.

US vice-president JD Vance was in Milan for Friday’s opening ceremony at the San Siro stadium, where he and wife Usha were roundly booed by the crowd when they appeared on big screens at the arena.

Kenworthy, 34, was born in Chelmsford but has lived in the United States for most of his life.

He won silver in the ski slopestyle at the Sochi 2014 Games while representing the US, as well as five medals at the X Games.