Fact Check: Did Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy urinate an expletive message toward ICE on snow?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In February 2026, an online rumor claimed that freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy urinated a message directed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) onto snow ahead of his appearance at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
According to the claims, Kenworthy wrote the words “f*** ICE” using his urine. But is there any truth to this viral claim? Let’s find out below.
Claim: Gus Kenworthy urinated a message to ICE onto snow
Several social media users claimed that Gus Kenworthy urinated a message to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) onto snow ahead of his appearance at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
An X user wrote, “JUST IN - Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy reportedly urinated ‘F* ICE’ into the snow ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, posting it to social media.”
Similarly, a Reddit thread stated, “Winter Olympics skier Gus Kenworthy urinates ‘F*** ICE’ in snow.”
Meanwhile, a Facebook user posted, “Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy sparked debate ahead of the 2026 Winter Games after posting an anti-ICE message written in snow using an unusual ‘ink’ and urging followers to pressure lawmakers on immigration enforcement.”
“Team GB and Olympic officials say he won’t face discipline, noting the post was shared on his personal account and not at an official Olympic venue,” the post added.
A Threads post read, “British-American Olympian Gus Kenworthy pees a message in the snow for ICE: ‘F**K ICE’.”
Fact Check: Partly true, Gus Kenworthy wrote the message
The claims made in the online posts are partly true. Gus Kenworthy, who switched from Team USA to Team Great Britain in 2019, posted a picture on Instagram showing the words “f*** ICE” written in a yellow liquid.
However, it remains unclear what Kenworthy used to create the image. He could have used artificial intelligence (AI), digital editing, or a liquid that was not urine, or urine that was not his.
Meanwhile, GB Snowsport, which manages Britain’s Olympic skiers and snowboarders, said in an email to Snopes that Kenworthy “won’t be issuing any comment to media on this story, and he won’t be undertaking Olympic media activities until much closer to his competition date.”
Additionally, the BBC reported that Kenworthy would not face punishment for the message. Kenworthy posted the image on February 4, alongside a caption urging people to call their senators to “speak up against ICE” during negotiations over a funding package for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Furthermore, a sample call script included in his post asked senators “to refuse to support any final Department of Homeland Security funding agreement that fails to meaningfully rein in ICE and Border Patrol.”
