Italians embrace unity, boo JD Vance at Olympics opening ceremony
MILAN — Spread across more than 265 miles in four different cities, from the snow-covered Dolomites to the sunny – for now – streets of Milan, the Milan-Cortina Olympics delivered a message.
Unit.
The most widespread Olympic Games in history on Friday showcased Italy’s idyllic snow-capped mountains, cutting-edge city life and winter heritage celebrated at the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Games. The unique setup which required four ceremonies in Milan, Livigno, Predazzo and Cortina d’Ampezzo used the magic of cinema on video screens, a golden ring and Italian icon Andrea Bocelli to bridge the distance between the host cities of Milan and Cortina and unite the Olympics behind the athletes who will compete in seven sporting zones over the next 16 days.
“Let these Games be a celebration of what unites us, of everything that makes us human,” said International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry in her speech, her first at the Olympic Games under her leadership. “That’s the magic of the Olympic Games: inspiring us all to be the best we can be, together.”
Lucas Pinheiro waves the Brazilian flag while leading his teammates during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics at the San Siro stadium in Milan on Friday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The theme of the Milan-Cortina opening ceremony was armoniaor harmony. The Games needed it.
These Olympics seem to be the most out of touch ever. The sprawling footprint covers seven different competition zones. The 2026 Games are the first to be officially hosted by two cities.
But the geographic distance is small compared to the geopolitical canyon the Games hope to fill.
The ongoing war in Ukraine prevents most Russian athletes from competing. Only 32 athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports were allowed and will have to compete as neutral individual athletes. They will not hear their national anthems or carry their national flags. Ukrainian athletes marched into the San Siro stadium – where athletes competing in ice sports took part in the opening ceremony – to loud cheers.
When talk of protests or political conflicts arose this week, Coventry tried to downplay them to stay focused on the Games. She called the controversy surrounding LA28 President Casey Wasserman and ICE agents in Milan “sad” distractions. The United States was at the center of much of the conflict after reports of the presence of American immigration agents in Milan sparked anti-ICE protests. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has attempted to ease tensions by clarifying that the organization does indeed work with the federal government to help secure the Games, but that the USOPC works with the Diplomatic Security Service, which falls under the jurisdiction of the State Department and not Homeland Security, which oversees ICE.
President Trump’s recent comments that the United States took control of Greenland from Denmark have also angered European allies.
On Friday, an American fan walked around the concourse of the San Siro stadium wearing a sweatshirt that read in several languages: “Sorry for our president.”
When Vice President JD Vance, seated in the presidential suite, was projected onto the San Siro video screen, the cheers that flooded the American athletes as they entered the stadium turned into jeers. Vance attended several events this week, including the U.S. women’s hockey group stage opener on Thursday and the team figure skating competition on Friday.
Team USA flag bearer Erin Jackson walks with her teammates during the opening ceremony Friday of the 2026 Winter Olympics at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The U.S. delegation of 323 athletes, led by speed skater Erin Jackson in Milan and bobsled athlete Frank Del Duca in Cortina, was the largest in the country’s Winter Olympics history and the largest of any country at the Milan-Cortina Games.
The athletes paraded through Milan’s San Siro stadium, home of AC Milan and Inter Milan, on a spiral-shaped stage. The four ramps converging in a circle represented the connection between Milan, Livigno, Predazzo and Cortina.
Even though one country’s athletes were not competing in Milan and could not attend the opening ceremony, a volunteer holding a sign, dressed in a floor-length silver dress, strutted onto the stage as screens showed the athletes marching in ceremonies at other Olympic venues in Italy.
In Cortina, a Brazilian athlete performed a backflip after speaking through a golden ring portal, a symbol shared at every ceremony. As the Milan Olympians entered a packed stadium with flashing lights and thumping techno music played by a DJ on a turntable that looked like ice, the mountain ceremonies took place in the streets. Supporters gathered on either side of the walkway for the athletes’ parade.
Dancers perform at the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games on Friday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The ceremony echoed the quintessential northern Italian experience. A plate of risotto was among the first images played on the video board in the countdown video in the run-up to the ceremony, followed by the picturesque snow-capped peaks of the Dolomites. As the fashion capital of the world, Milan used models dressed in green, white and red outfits designed by Giorgia Armani to represent the Italian flag. There was even a two-minute video of Italian hand gestures.
Italy, as the host nation, came last to deafening applause and cheers from the Milan crowd. In about two years, the United States will have the honor of closing out the parade of athletes when Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Summer Games. The opening ceremony is also expected to take place in multiple locations, with the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium co-hosting the event.
To unite the Italian host cities, the Olympic flame was carried out of the stadium as Bocelli girded and the flame reached two cauldrons simultaneously. In Milan, the pulsing cauldron inspired by the sun will burn at the Arco della Pace. In Cortina, it will illuminate Piazza Angelo Dibona.
Call them twin flames.
