Shani Davis says he is ‘over’ Opening Ceremony controversy
Speedskater Shani Davis says he is “over” the controversy surrounding the Opening Ceremony.
Davis, who is in his fifth Olympics, was one of the finalists to serve as America’s flag bearer during the Opening Ceremony. He and luger Erin Hamlin split the eight federation votes, but Hamlin won a coin toss to receive the honor. Davis ended up skipping the Opening Ceremony entirely after losing the honor.
In an interview with Dutch media outlet Nos.nl, Davis said he was “over” the matter.
“It happened for the better. I probably needed the rest anyway,” Davis told NOS.nl. “But, you know, once every four years, my fifth Olympics, I thought it would be really special to hold the flag. I guess the USOC and other people thought differently. I’m over it.”
Shani Davis interview with friend and retired Dutch speed skater Erben Wennemars. He touched on flag bearer and said he's taking care of his suit this time. https://t.co/Yu1eS4wnWL pic.twitter.com/n616odAVsZ
— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) February 12, 2018
Davis does not seem to be “over it” despite what he says. At a time when many athletes are embracing opportunities to grow their public profile and following on social media, Davis has made his Twitter account private.
The 35-year-old is a two-time gold medalist in the 1,000 meters and two-time silver medalist in the 1,500 meters.
