British freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy will not face censure for an obscene social media image he posted just hours before arriving at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina.
The image shows the words 'f*** ice', apparently urinated into the snow, in a direct attack on the controversial United States immigration and customs enforcement agency.
Kenworthy, who was born in Chelmsford but has lived in the US for most of his life, also posted a message urging US citizens to pressure their respective senators to deny funding for the agency.
It has been reported that British Olympic Association officials are unconcerned by the post because it does not reference Team GB and it was posted outside the Olympic environment.
Likewise, the post is not believed to contravene International Olympic Committee guidelines, which stipulate that the IOC is "fully supportive" of athletes’ freedom of expression.
Kenworthy wrote: "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."
US vice-president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio are in Milan Friday night’s opening ceremony at the San Siro stadium and watched their team’s opening men’s ice hockey match on Thursday.
The build-up to the Games was marred by protests over the reported presence of ICE agents in the city as part of the wider US delegation.
The IOC has been approached for comment.
