[3] Curler John Shuster and speed skater Brittany Bowe were named U.S. flagbearers for the opening ceremony.
Notable successes included Jessie Diggins becoming the first American female skier to win individual cross-country medals, figure skater Nathan Chen breaking the short program world record en route to the Olympic gold medal in the men's singles, Erin Jackson becoming the first black female athlete to win speed skating gold, and Chloe Kim defending her title in the snowboarding women's halfpipe.
Kaillie Humphries won gold in women's monobob, with the event having made its debut at these games.
[9] Top U.S. downhiller Breezy Johnson also qualified for the team, but had to withdraw due to a knee injury sustained in January.
Men Women Mixed The United States qualified two sleds each in all four events over the course of the 2021–22 Bobsleigh World Cup.
[26] The U.S. won silver medals in the team event, which were not awarded at the Olympics due to pending investigation into a Russian doping scandal involving gold medalist Kamila Valieva.
[33] Head coach: Joel Johnson * Missed the remainder of the tournament after a knee injury in the first preliminary round game on February 3.
[35] The United States qualified a team of two men and five women based on performance in the 2021–22 ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup.
In the open letter, Katko cited an earlier 19 January 2021 statement from then-serving U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in which Pompeo stated that, "since at least March 2017, the People's Republic of China (PRC), under the direction and control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has committed crimes against humanity against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other members of ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang.
[44] In an interview with conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt, Pompeo cited "nasty activity" by the Chinese government as evidence to support a boycott.
In a Politico article published on 10 March 2021,[45] Texas Senator Ted Cruz spoke against a possible boycott, stating, "I don't think we should be punishing athletes who have spent their entire lives training.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio previously signed a resolution[46] authored by Senator Rick Scott which "demanded the International Olympic Committee move the 2022 Winter Olympics out of Communist China", but also refused to support a boycott, stating that he did not make a formal decision yet.
Senator and former 2012 Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, titled "The Right Way to Boycott the Beijing Olympics."
On 19 October 2021, American figure skater Evan Bates described the situation in Xinjiang as "terrible" and "awful", and Vincent Zhou and Nathan Chen, skaters of Chinese descent, echoed Bates' statement over the human rights situation in Xinjiang.
The United States and 65 other nations[49] boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics, which were primarily held in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, in present-day Russia.
The bloc cited the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan as their rationale for the boycott, with the United States hosting a substitute track and field event called the Liberty Bell Classic, with China in attendance.
[50] Four years later, the Soviet Union and 14 of its allies then boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics,[51] which were held in Los Angeles, United States.