“I hope that the opening ceremony is seen by everyone as an opportunity to be respectful of each other,” said International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry when asked if she worried the American athletes or politicians could be booed, per Town And Country. “When we went to the [Olympic] village that is the best reminder of how we should be. You see athletes from every walk of life. No one is asking what country they come from or what religion. They are all just hanging out… It was a real opportunity to put into perspective how we could be and so, for me, I hope that the opening ceremony will do that and will be a reminder for everyone how we could be.”
Some who very well could be asking what country they come from or what religion they are, however, would be the ICE agents—already unpopular in their home country—that the U.S. government announced it planned to bring to Milan. Last week, the U.S. embassy in Rome claimed that “ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is supporting the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organisations,” despite protests from the people of Milan and the city’s mayor. “This is a militia that kills. It’s clear that they are not welcome in Milan, there’s no doubt about it,” said Mayor Giuseppe Sala, according to The Guardian. “Can’t we just say no to Trump for once? We can take care of their security ourselves. We don’t need ICE.” Though U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Chief Security Officer Nicole Deal confirmed yesterday, per USA Today, that, “there are no ICE agents that are part of the team USA delegation on the ground here in Milan,” she also said, “I can’t speak on behalf of the State Department or the embassy.” Demonstrations in Milan are expected to take place on both February 6 and 7; whether any of those take place during the opening ceremony remains to be seen.
Keep scrolling for more great stories.