Four-time Olympian Angela Ruggiero greeted the announcement of the U.S. diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Games with relief on Monday, delighted that there was no suggestion athletes should also stay away.
Ruggiero, who won ice hockey gold for the United States in 1998 and later served as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said it was important that athletes were not penalized for politics.
"My initial reaction was a bit of relief that it wasn't anything more dramatic," Ruggiero said.