Sports is no doubt a unifying experience. Bringing athletes and entities together from diverse social backgrounds and placing them on par on the playing field. But, what happens when controversies arise in sports and that too, of a political sort? This happened back in 2018, when a bunch of athletes from various sports refused to meet Donald Trump at the White House. Champion Skier Lindsey Vonn, figure skater Adam Rippon, and snowboarding champ Chloe Kim were the major ones to boycott the visit.

But their absence was not discussed by Trump at that event. Safe to say, a few athletes were less than happy about this indifferent response. Let’s look at the response of one particular athlete, Adam Rippon.

When President Donald Trump managed to offend an Olympian

Trump’s response didn’t sit lightly with ice skater and 2018 Winter Olympics medalist Adam Rippon. In the 2018 Winter Olympics, Rippon managed to bag bronze for his home country. But he still announced that he’d join the crowd of absentees at the White House event.

Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports

Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports

Rippon is an openly Gay athlete and has been open about his decision to not join the White House event from the time he was in the team. He mainly stated his reason as having a dislike for the Trump administration, calling it a ‘platform of fear’.

READ MORE: “He’s a F***ing Joke”: Megan Rapinoe Found Donald Trump’s Attack on Her ‘Ridiculous’ in 2019

Talking about his decision to not attend the event, Rippon pointed out the behavior that president Trump had towards women. He said, “I would never want my sister to be spoken to the way Donald Trump has spoken to women. I would never want anyone to talk to my mother that way.”

Other athletes who have criticized Trump

When the athletes skipped the event, the public quickly started taking sides and the whole issue going out of hand. Athletes like Lindsey Vonn, who were harsh with their opinions on this issue, had to apologize for their words. Like Vonn, Megan Rapinoe, the star soccer player, is another staunch critic of the former President of the United States, along with the likes of legendary tennis players, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.

Although the opinion on whether sports personalities should delve into political topics like this remains a bit unclear, this incident created quite a stir. What do you think about the athletes skipping their meet with the then president?

WATCH THIS STORY: ‘He Is Separating People’ When John McEnroe criticized Former United States President Donald Trump For His Controversy With The NFL Players