Great Britain skier Gus Kenworthy has been subjected to death threats after posting a graphic message about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Instagram. The 34-year-old athlete shared the image, which included an expletive before the word "ICE", just before he was due to compete at the Winter Olympics in Italy.
Kenworthy, who is of American descent but has represented Great Britain since 2019, said that while there had been a lot of support for his views, many messages had been abusive and threatening. He claimed that people were wishing him harm on social media, including death threats and insults directed at his loved ones.
The British Olympic Association (BOA) has told BBC Sport that it takes athlete welfare seriously and has support services in place for athletes who receive threats or abuse via social media. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is also using an Artificial Intelligence system to monitor social media for abusive posts directed at athletes during the Winter Games.
Kenworthy, who won a silver medal in the ski slopestyle event at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, said that he was not going to be silenced by the abuse and would continue to speak out on issues he cared about. He stated that he believed it was possible to love and respect the United States while still wanting to see improvements in its policies.
The US has announced that it will send ICE agents to support security operations during the Winter Olympics, which has sparked anger among some in Italy who are concerned about increased law enforcement presence at the Games.
Kenworthy's comments have highlighted the challenges faced by athletes who speak out on social issues and the need for greater protection from abuse and harassment.
Kenworthy, who is of American descent but has represented Great Britain since 2019, said that while there had been a lot of support for his views, many messages had been abusive and threatening. He claimed that people were wishing him harm on social media, including death threats and insults directed at his loved ones.
The British Olympic Association (BOA) has told BBC Sport that it takes athlete welfare seriously and has support services in place for athletes who receive threats or abuse via social media. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is also using an Artificial Intelligence system to monitor social media for abusive posts directed at athletes during the Winter Games.
Kenworthy, who won a silver medal in the ski slopestyle event at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, said that he was not going to be silenced by the abuse and would continue to speak out on issues he cared about. He stated that he believed it was possible to love and respect the United States while still wanting to see improvements in its policies.
The US has announced that it will send ICE agents to support security operations during the Winter Olympics, which has sparked anger among some in Italy who are concerned about increased law enforcement presence at the Games.
Kenworthy's comments have highlighted the challenges faced by athletes who speak out on social issues and the need for greater protection from abuse and harassment.
. the US sending ICE agents to the Olympics is just crazy talk - like, who thought this was a good idea? 
Italy should be more worried about the safety of its athletes than some politicians' ego trips. and can we please talk about the lack of support services for athletes dealing with online harassment? it's 2025 and we still gotta deal with this?! 
he's just trying to express his opinions and people are going after him with death threats 
that's not okay at all, like literally not cool or safe for anyone who's got a voice. the IOC is taking some steps but we need more protection for these athletes, they're representing us on the world stage and should be able to do so without fear of online harassment 
... Anyway, I get why Gus is speaking out - he's right that you can love your country without loving everything its government does. And yeah, the AI system to monitor social media sounds like a good idea, but what about all the people who just don't think they're being abusive? 
... It's crazy how much hate and anger there is online, even when it feels like we should be supporting each other more 
. Did you see those stats on athlete welfare? 70% of athletes say they've experienced online abuse during the Olympics 
. And it's not just athletes, 60% of adults in the UK have experienced online harassment 
.
. It's up by 25% since 2020! 
. We need to take a stand against this and support our athletes who dare to speak out 
. The IOC's AI system is a great step forward, but we need more concrete actions from the government.
. 40% of Italians are opposed to the presence of US law enforcement 
. Not just athletes being targeted for their opinions 
. We need to focus on creating a safer online space for everyone 
.
, but we need more concrete actions taken to keep our athletes safe online 
. ICE agents coming to Italy is just ridiculous 
instead of being a bunch of drama queens? The IOC should really step up their social media monitoring game 
. And let's be real, if Gus can handle the hate, so can everyone else 
. Love that he's not going to back down from his views 
I'm so glad he's not going to stop speaking up about what matters to him 
it's totally fine that people have strong feelings on immigration issues, we should be able to discuss them without being bullied or harassed online 
the IOC's AI system is a great idea, let's hope it helps keep everyone safe during the Olympics 
. IOC using AI 2 monitor social media 4 abusive posts is a good start tho 
. The fact that people can't even have a convo without being super aggressive says a lot about our society 
anyway, it's good that the BOA has support services for athletes who get threatened online, but shouldn't they also be promoting more constructive dialogue instead of just silencing dissenting voices? 
That being said, I get why he felt the need to express himself, and I'm all for athletes using their platform to raise awareness about important issues.
. The Olympics should be about celebrating human achievement and unity, not about policing athletes' online speech 
.
. We need more empathy and understanding in our society... not less 
!
. i mean, i've gotten some weird comments on my own posts too lol like, whats wrong with having an opinion?? anyway, i'm glad the british olympic assoc & IOC r taking steps 2 protect athletes from abuse 
. It's like, what even is the point of having a platform if people are just gonna be abusive? And now they're sending ICE agents to Italy for the Olympics? Like, isn't that a bit much? 
. Anyways, I hope Gus stays strong and keeps speaking his mind 
. People are taking out their frustrations on him and his loved ones, which is just not okay 
. And now the US is sending ICE agents to Italy, which is just gonna freak out the locals... I mean, what even is that? 
. It's like, we need to create a bubble for them or something 
. Anyway, I hope Gus keeps speaking out, even if it means facing some backlash 
? A guy can dream, right