The International Olympic Committee urged spectators to "be respectful" as the Milan- Cortina Winter Olympics opened Friday, with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio attending amid protests in Milan over the presence of U.S. immigration agents supporting the American delegation.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry made the appeal this week when asked whether the U.S. delegation could face jeers at the opening ceremony.
"I hope that the opening ceremony is seen by everyone as an opportunity to be respectful of each other," she said.
The Games opened Friday with ceremonies centered at Milan's San Siro stadium and a parallel program in Cortina d'Ampezzo, the latest edition of the Winter Olympics spread across northern Italy.
Demonstrations in Milan focused on reports that personnel from Homeland Security Investigations, a unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, were in Italy to support security and coordination for the U.S. presence during the Games.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the backlash as "surreal" and said ICE personnel would not conduct law enforcement operations in Italy.
Speaking in a Thursday night interview with the broadcast group Mediaset, Meloni said that ICE "has never carried out, could never carry out, and will never carry out police operations, immigration enforcement or checks, on our territory," referring to the presence of Homeland Security Investigations.
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala criticized ICE in remarks, calling it "a militia that kills" and saying its personnel were not welcome in the city, comments that drew attention as protests built ahead of the ceremony.
The protests came against a broader political backdrop that has strained U.S. relations with some European partners, including President Donald Trump's renewed public push to acquire Greenland, an issue that has prompted fresh diplomatic and political friction in Europe.
In the U.S., the recent deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal immigration personnel have also fueled scrutiny and anger.
Alex Pretti was killed in an encounter involving two immigration agents, and Renee Good was killed in a separate shooting involving an ICE agent days earlier.
Harassment and intimidation around the Olympics have also been a recent theme, particularly online.
After the 2024 Paris Olympics, French prosecutors opened an investigation of a complaint from transgender boxing champion Imane Khelif about online harassment.
Separately, Paris opening ceremony figures faced threats and cyberbullying after a queer-inclusive opening production, with French authorities bringing cases tied to the threats.
The IOC has said it plans to issue updated rules on transgender participation in the first quarter of 2026, a subject that has drawn political attention in several countries and has become intertwined with broader culture-war disputes that sometimes spill into Olympic coverage and ceremony debate.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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