Tag: 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony

The Story: The XXIII Olympic Winter Games are underway in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) against the backdrop of heightened tensions between the host...

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.) on Saturday criticized Vice President Pence after news outlets reported that Pence refused to stand for the entrance of the combined Korea team at the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony. In a tweet, Murphy likened Pence's refusal to stand for the team representing athletes from both North and South Korea to both Pence and President Trump's opposition to NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem before football games. "Why does Pence hate the opening ceremonies? Oh wait...he's a using ceremony at a sporting event to protest something else. Pence left an Indianapolis Colts game that he was attending last year after players from the opposing San Francisco 49ers knelt in protest during the national anthem. His departure sparked criticism from NFL players and Democrats. "I left today's Colts game because President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem," Pence said in a statement at the time. Trump sparked a feud with the football league in September when he called on NFL team owners to fire players who protested during the anthem, a move that triggered dozens more protests from players across the country. The 2018 Winter Olympics, held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, have sparked a new wave of cooperation between North and South Korea, prompting the two countries to sponsor a joint Olympics team for the first time. Cooperation brought on by the Olympic Games has also reportedly triggered the first invitation from North Korea for diplomatic talks between the two nations in more than a decade.