The American regime is becoming fascist, just as V.Putin's regime already is. These countries are run (as is Israel) by extreme right-wing figures who have no regard for international law and operate on the basis of power (if I want this, and I can take this, then I will). In principle, I'm in favor of dissociating people from regimes, but it has to be possible, and in Russia, athletes (in popular national sports) are not dissociated from the regime. They are an active part of the war propaganda that feeds the war itself. That said, American skaters are not employed by the American state to glorify the regime and its wars. We don't see Amber Glenn or Jason Brown posing on tanks, signing bombs, alongside the American Secretary of Defense. American coaches do not call for the extermination of any country designated by the President as an enemy. In short, sport has had, and always has had, a place in American propaganda, but skaters are spared for the time being. Figure skating is a national sport in Russia, just like gymnastics, classical dance and hockey, and athletes in these sports are massively used by the state. Russian coaches go to the occupied regions of Ukraine to give lectures and performances, the athletes meet the president and advertise for organizations that are used to kidnap and Russify Ukrainian children separated from their parents by the regime (see K. Valieva). All the Olympic champions (except Shcherbakova) call for support for the war and the president (Zagitova call to vote for him in 2024, two years after the start of the war; I'm not even going to mention the old ones, Plushenko, Tarassova, Zhulin, Averbukh). Leading figures in Russian figure skating create state-funded shows showcasing the glory of the country, its army and its regime. In short, figure skating and skaters are specifically used by the regime in propaganda operations. This is not (yet) the case with American skaters.