International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry spoke this week about the possibility that American athletes could be booed during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, which take place on Friday.
Watch the press conference at YouTube.
Coventry was asked by a reporter: “It’s hard to escape the geopolitical backdrop, the tensions with America, the mayor of Milan calling ICE agents ‘a militia that kills’. Would you see it as freedom of speech or understand it if Americans were laughed at at the opening ceremony, or do you have a message to respect them?
Coventry said she hoped the opening ceremony would be “seen by everyone as an opportunity to have respect for each other.”
The Olympic Village, which houses athletes during the global sporting show, is the “greatest reminder of what we should all be,” she continued, noting how during a visit she saw athletes from all over the world “just hanging out,” without worrying about where people come from or what their religion is.
“It was a real opportunity to put into perspective what we could all be like,” she said. “And so for me, I hope the opening ceremony will do that and be a reminder to everyone of what we could be.”
News that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel will attend the Games as part of the US delegation, led by US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sparked protests in Italy, given the backlash against their anti-immigration enforcement in the US.
However, ICE personnel will work in diplomatic offices.
