Chloe Kim Opens Up About This Heartbreaking Winter Olympics Rule for Athlete Parents
Chloe Kim is thinking about her family as she competes for her second gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
After her showstopping Winter Games debut in 2018 in PyeongChang, all eyes are on the 21-year-old snowboarder who is arguably the best female competitor in the sport of all time. During her first Winter Olympics, a then-17-year-old Chloe was accompanied by her father, Jong Jin Kim, and her mother, Boran Yun Kim. But this time around, the halfpipe event star won’t be able to look out in to the crowd and see her parents cheering her on.
Similar to the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, organizers of this year’s Winter Games have banned all international spectators from attending events, including athlete parents. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the recent surge of the Omicron variant, the host country put in place strict COVID-19 health and safety protocols, which only allows mainland China residents to attend.
Speaking with People, Chloe opened up about how this rule has impacted her and others around her. As fans may know, the California native rose to fame starting at the age of 14, earning impressive accolades at the X Games, World Champions, the Youth Olympic Games and the Olympics.
“I was really disappointed that my family wouldn't be able to join us in Beijing, but I was grateful that they were able to attend my first Games,” she told the magazine. “I really feel for everyone else who might be going into their first Olympics and not have their families to share that experience with. But yeah, I do think for sure the biggest hurdle might be not having my parents. I mean, they are my No. 1 fans. I always look forward to seeing their faces at the bottom of the pipe, cheering me on.”
Ahead of the Winter Games Opening Ceremony on February 4, Chloe released a minute-long P&G film on social media dedicated to both her parents. The video, titled “Always There,” showcases never-before-seen family home videos and special recreated moments.
Reacting to the heartfelt short picture, fans of the snowboarder rallied around her in the Instagram comments section. Many folks shared heart emojis, crying emojis and fire emojis after becoming overwhelmed with emotion. “What a tribute ❤️,” one person wrote. “❤️❤️❤️😭 😭 😭 Wow so beautiful,” another added. “Aww, I’m in tears ❤️,” a different fan said.
Though Chloe would love to see her father and mother supporting her with handmade signs on the sidelines, she has also found the silver lining — knowing that they’re just a phone call away.
“I started to compete without them slowly. I hate it, but I knew it would be important for me to overcome that,” she told the publication. “Whenever I would compete without my parents there, I would always be calling them, always calling my dad when I'm freaking out. Even though they're not there in person with me, they're still there. I can always lean on them for support. I could always ask them for guidance. They don't have to be there for me to feel safe.”
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