United States Vice President JD Vance was booed in Milan on Friday while athletes from Team USA entered San Siro Stadium as part of the opening ceremony that marked the official start of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
As is tradition, Greece, as the birthplace of the Games, entered the parade of athletes first and were followed by other countries in alphabetical order in Italian. Team USA walked into the stadium after Venezuela around 4 p.m. ET and were met with cheers—and a smattering of boos—from the crowd in Milan. When Vance and his wife, Usha, were shown on screen, the stadium erupted with boos.
Team USA knows how to make an ENTRANCE into the San Siro for the #WinterOlympics. 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/YA7AGq9Oqs
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 6, 2026
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Leading up to the opening ceremony, demonstrators in Milan protested against the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as part of the U.S. security apparatus at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the Italian government recently said no ICE agents are providing security for Team USA.
Athletes from Israel also appeared to receive boos from the crowd, similar to the reception they received in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The opening ceremony, streamed live on Peacock, will re-air on NBC on Friday evening. A full slate of Olympic events is scheduled for Saturday morning, beginning with a quadrant of mixed doubles curling matches at 4 a.m. ET.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as JD Vance Booed During Team USA Introduction at 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.
