Flag American Man Chooses To Wave at Italy's Winter Olympics Goes Viral [View all]

Last edited Tue Feb 10, 2026, 02:16 PM - Edit history (1)

A post about a spectator at a figure skating event in Milan holding up a United States flag with an apology message has gone viral on social media.

The post by Threads user @jedayal has amassed almost 1 million views since it was shared on February 9. In the caption accompanying the photo, the poster wrote: "This photo shows an American spectator at a figure skating event in Milan holding up a U.S. flag with a message apologizing to the world. A public acknowledgment, in a global space, that many of us do not consent to the damage being done in our name."

The image—credited in the post to Vincent Alban / The New York Times—shows a man raising a U.S. flag emblazoned with large capital letters that read: "Apologies to the world for our bad behavior, we will fix ourselves."

The viral post arrives at a moment of ongoing unrest and political tension across the U.S., striking a chord among viewers both within the country and abroad.

https://www.newsweek.com/sports/us-flag-apology-message-american-man-2026-winter-olympics-11490255