Pride and unease: US Winter Olympians navigate politics, patriotism and Trump attacks

Some athletes at the Milano Cortina Games speaking out on the complications of representing the US abroad are facing hostility from home

Some US athletes at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina are speaking more openly than at any point since Donald Trump returned to the White House, describing a complicated mix of pride and discomfort about representing the country while political tensions at home and abroad spill into the Games.

The comments - and the fierce reaction they have triggered from political figures, online influencers and the president himself - have exposed a widening gap between how some athletes view their Olympic role and how parts of the political establishment believe they should use it.