GAMES ON

Shani Davis Skips Olympic Opening Ceremony for Team USA

Skater said to be “resting his legs” after he was not selected as flag-bearer.

The United States Olympic team made its entrance at the Opening Ceremonies for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang early Friday morning. The team, decked out in Ralph Lauren, walked out about midway through the 2012 international hit “Gangnam Style,” as NBC footage showed Vice President Mike Pence waving from the stands. Media reports indicate Pence is sitting one row behind Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean Dear Leader Kim Jong Un. Olympic speedskater Shani Davis was absent from the ceremony, one day after not being chosen for the honor of flag bearer after he and luger Erin Hamlin tied; Hamlin was eventually chosen after a coin toss. In a tweet ahead of the Opening Ceremony, Davis wrote: “@TeamUSA dishonorably tossed a coin to decide its 2018 flag bearer. No problem. I can wait until 2022,” finishing the tweet with the hashtag #BlackHistoryMonth2018. NBC Chicago reports Davis, the first black athlete to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Olympics, was “resting his legs” along with other U.S. skaters ahead of their competition.