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US pairs skater Timothy LeDuc calls human rights abuses in China 'horrifying'

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In the months and weeks leading up to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, U.S. athletes have been repeatedly asked about human rights abuses in China and, for the most part, tiptoed around them.

Pairs skater Timothy LeDuc did not do that Sunday.

Hours after they were named to Team USA, LeDuc fielded a question about human rights abuses in China, whether athletes have a responsibility to use their platform to speak about them and whether they plan to do so. They called it "a really hard question to answer."

"There's no simple answer to this question," said LeDuc, who will become the first openly non-binary athlete to compete at an Olympic Winter Games.