The 2018 Winter Olympics officially opened on Friday but the first bit of drama has already boiled over: a three-way dispute between Adam Rippon, the first openly gay American man to qualify to compete in the Winter Games; Mike Pence, the conservative vice president and longtime opponent of gay rights; and the newspaper USA Today.

As controversies go, this one seems to have it all. Mr. Rippon, a charismatic 28-year-old figure skater, newly minted gay icon and social media darling, criticized Mr. Pence for his opposition to gay rights and long-rumored support of conversion therapy, a discredited practice that proponents claim can make gay people straight. Mr. Rippon also declined an invitation to meet with Mr. Pence before the Games, his agent said.

Mr. Pence and his spokespeople have pushed back, arguing that he does not support conversion therapy, which has been discredited by the medical community and condemned by rights groups. And the snub from Mr. Rippon? They say it never happened because they never asked him to meet in the first place.

How the controversy began

The dispute began on Jan. 17, when Mr. Rippon criticized the White House decision to give Mr. Pence the ceremonial role of leading the United States delegation to the opening ceremony in Pyeongchang, South Korea.