- Ski star Mikaela Shiffrin shows hate messages on Instagram.
- She received nasty insults and threats.
- The reason was her political statements about the USA.
- Shiffrin spoke out in favor of inclusion and diversity.
This year, Mikaela Shiffrin is heading towards winning the big crystal ball again. However, she makes it public on her Instagram account that the most successful female ski racer in history not only attracts fans, but also many disgruntled people.
As Shiffrin shows, she received numerous hate messages around the Winter Olympics. “You’re a damn joke,” says one comment, while someone else calls the American a “worthless piece of shit.” Someone even said: “Stay in Italy, you idiot.” Shiffrin was also called a “traitor”. One user even wished her an injury.
Mikaela Shiffrin: Hatred because of political statements
The reason for the negative feedback was presumably Shiffrin’s statements about the current political situation in the USA. After the events in Minnesota at the Olympics, the 30-year-old was asked how she felt about representing the USA given the political tensions in her homeland.
“I hope that I can represent my own values here: values of inclusion, diversity and kindness, sharing, tenacity and work ethic,” replied Shiffrin.
Shiffrin also quoted Mandela
The slalom Olympic champion also quoted South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela and said: “Peace is not just the absence of conflict. Peace is about creating an environment in which we can all thrive. Regardless of skin color, ethnicity, creed, religion, gender, class, caste or any other social marker of diversity.”
According to Shiffrin’s team, the ski racer stayed away from social media during the Olympics in order to fully concentrate on the sport. After the competitions, she seems to have spent time on Instagram again, where she saw the harsh comments against her.
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Florian Gnägi (flo) has been working in the sports department for 20 minutes since 2021. His greatest expertise is in the areas of football and tennis.
