USA Cycling distances itself after former Olympic BMX alternate celebrated Charlie Kirk's killing

USA Cycling on Friday said the views expressed by a former national team member do not reflect the organization’s positions after social media posts by Chelsea Wolfe, a transgender BMX rider who was an alternate for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics, celebrated the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

"The views of current and former national team athletes are their own and do not reflect those of USA Cycling. Chelsea Wolfe has not been a member of the USA Cycling National Team or a member of USA Cycling since 2023," the organization said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

Wolfe’s posts, shared via an Instagram story, included a re-share of coverage of Kirk’s death with an animated caption that read, "We did it!" and a selfie accompanied by a comment suggesting Kirk was a "Nazi." In one post she wrote, "Being a Nazi is completely optional btw. He didn't have to do all that, but he did and now he's dead. Don't live your life in a way that the world is better following your death."

The posts drew widespread social media backlash and public criticism from figures across the political and sporting spectrum, including former tennis player Martina Navratilova and conservative influencer Riley Gaines. Wolfe appeared to acknowledge the reaction in a later post, sharing a meme with the caption, "Your boos mean nothing. I've seen what makes you cheer."

Wolfe previously drew attention for a March 2020 Facebook post in which she wrote, "My goal is to win the Olympics so I can burn a U.S. flag on the podium," comments she made before serving as an alternate at the Tokyo Games. At the time Wolfe was an alternate under the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s prior gender eligibility policy, which then allowed competitors assigned male at birth to participate in women's categories under certain conditions.

Policy changes at the national level have come into sharper focus in recent months. The USOPC updated its athlete safety policy in July to indicate it would comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports." USA Cycling released a revised policy earlier in September that restricts competitors in the women's category to females, defining "Female means a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell." The federation did not tie that policy change to the social media controversy.

Law enforcement officials investigating Kirk’s killing said this week that they arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of Utah. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called the shooting a "political assassination," and federal authorities reported that ammunition linked to the rifle believed to have been used in the attack bore anti-fascist inscriptions. FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators and local authorities completed an arrest within 33 hours of the killing.

USA Cycling’s statement reiterated a separation between athlete commentary and the federation’s positions while noting Wolfe is no longer a member. The organization did not announce any disciplinary action. The case surrounding Kirk’s death continues to unfold as investigators and prosecutors review motive and evidence.