Figure skater Adam Rippon says athletes speaking out about Trump policies at the 2026 Games needs more bravery than before, as politics shape everything in America.
Olympic Games: Athletes and politics mix together more than before.
Back in 2018, figure skater Adam Rippon did not like that then vice president Mike Pence led the US team to the Olympics in Korea. Rippon, who told everyone he was gay in 2015, said Pence did not agree with what Rippon believes.
Rippon thinks it takes more bravery for athletes to speak about Trump ideas now than it did eight years ago. He says the “echo chamber” is much louder than before. Athletes could get in trouble if they talk about government rules. But if they speak up, they show the world some Americans do not like certain policies.
The Olympics are supposed to be about sports only. But Rippon says politics are in everything now, even sports. What happens during the 2026 Winter Games is like what happened in Paris in 2024. Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won gold but people argued about whether she was trans—even though she is not trans.
This kind of thing has happened before. In 1968 in Mexico City, Black US runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists during their medal ceremony to show they wanted equal rights. An expert named Simone Driessen says athletes speaking about their beliefs is normal now because famous people like Taylor Swift also talk about politics.
Just like singer Bad Bunny, former football player Colin Kaepernick spoke freely about what he believed. Kaepernick kneeled during the National Anthem to protest police hurting Black people. Some people think great American athletes should stay quiet. When athletes say what they think, it makes some people very happy.