The Winter Olympics open in Italy tonight. Many sports have lifted sanctions against Russia and a number of Russians and Belarusians will compete in the games as neutrals, despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.
At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to take over Greenland has created further uncertainty worldwide.
For Stephen Marr, an American living and working in Sweden, the similarities between Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the US's increasingly vocal talk about Greenland are clear.
"Every day is a new horror these days. It's terrible. The parallels are striking," he says.
“Sad and strange”
The difference, Marr says, is how the outside world reacts. Russia was shut out of the sports world after the invasion. Something similar against the United States is harder to imagine.
Economically, Russia is on par with Italy. The U.S. is something completely different. Sponsorship money for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) comes largely from American companies.
American athletes are not used to being met with hostility. The question is, what will it be like now?
People will definitely boo. What happens if a superstar like Mikaela Shiffrin wins gold? American athletes are used to people liking them. What happens when they don't?
However, few sports stars dare to take a stand on politics, says Marr.
Look at Colin Kaepernick (former NFL superstar). He hasn't had a job since he protested. That's the price of criticizing the US. There's an "anti-woke" mentality. If you don't love the US, you can leave. It's sad and strange.
“Villains”
For Marr, the Olympics will be a different kind of championship. It may be the first time many Americans seriously feel that the country is no longer seen as “the good guys.”
It would make people feel that something is very unpleasant, he says.
The USA will face Denmark in the men's Olympic hockey on February 14. It will be special, considering the Greenland threat.
The whole stadium will probably cheer for the USA. They will be portrayed as the villains, Marr says, and continues:
It adds a little "spice" to the match, like when the USA meets Iran in soccer.
“Difficult to sleep”
Greenlandic biathletes have been selected for the Olympics and will represent Denmark.
Siblings Ukaleq and Sondre Slettemark have previously spoken out about Trump's threats against Greenland.
"We are imagining the worst and my aunt has trouble sleeping at night. We are scared and very angry, because this is not the way to speak to another country. We feel disrespected," Ukaleq Slettemark told AP.
