There was a call for peace and harmony from the president of the IOC here at the San Siro on Friday night and, against a backdrop of global tension, it was clear Kirsty Coventry wanted to draw on what she regards as the unifying power of Olympic sport.
But when a vice-president’s mere presence with a team of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers (ICE) sparked boos of derision at this opening ceremony and demonstrations in the city centre — with further protests over the cost of these Games staged outside this famous, soon-to-be-torn-down old stadium — the idea that this two-week extravaganza on snow and ice can extinguish the political fires burning across the world seemed a curious, if well-intended, notion.
Even the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, has described ICE as a “militia that kills” and the decision to employ them as a security detail for JD Vance and the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, certainly proved provocative given the depth of feeling in the wake of those shootings in Minneapolis.
Vance’s presence caused a stir in Milan, with the decision to bring ICE agents with the US delegation going down particularly badly among the locals, below
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ANDREA CARRUBBA/ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES
While some 60,000 spectators gathered principally to be entertained by Mariah Carey’s quite wonderful Volare and a similarly spellbinding performance of Nessun Dorma from Andrea Bocelli, there was no hiding their contempt for Vance. There had already been a negative response to the appearance of Israel’s team, as well as a warm reception for Ukraine, but with Vance and his wife Usha’s appearance on the giant screen as the American team passed through the arena came an almost deafening roar of disapproval.
Earlier more than a thousand protesters, mainly students, had assembled to chant slogans, blow whistles and set off flares. “ICE OUT” and “ICE should be in my drinks, not my city” were among the banners displayed.
By then a senior member of Team GB had also made his feelings known, risking potential censure from the IOC with a social media post in which he claimed to have written “f*** ice” by urinating in the snow.
If there was a gold medal for neatness while employing that particular handwriting method, Gus Kenworthy would be a major contender. But the Colorado-based 34-year-old freestyle skier, who won silver for the US at Sochi in 2014 yet now competes for Great Britain, seemed to be at odds with an Olympic charter that asks athletes to remain politically neutral.
Kenworthy’s message raised eyebrows, not least because of his remarkable penmanship
Kenworthy, who was born in Chelmsford and is one of the few openly gay Olympians at the Games here in Milan-Cortina, attached a detailed message to the photograph, urging his 1.2 million Instagram followers to contact their local senator to protest against the actions of ICE officers.
In his post Kenworthy, who also works as a model and has appeared in a number of films, even provided a “sample script” of what to say to said official, reminding his audience that “innocent people have been murdered”. “Enough is enough,” he added. “We can’t wait around while ICE continues to operate with unchecked power in our communities.”
The British Olympic Association declined to comment, but privately took the view that Kenworthy had given a personal opinion on a subject that sits outside the Games and prior to his arrival in northern Italy. The IOC made the point that they do not monitor social media posts and therefore had no plans to challenge Kenworthy or Team GB officials.
On Friday the IOC’s focus was far more on glitz, glamour and skilful choreography, even sharing the fact that 70 hairdressers and 110 make-up artists had been employed for a three-hour TV special that had a distinct Wizard of Oz meets Milan catwalk feel.
Carey was among the big-name attractions in Milan
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It was quite the spectacle, and the first time we have seen two Olympic cauldrons, lit simultaneously at Milan’s Arco della Pace (Peace Arch) and in Cortina’s Piazza Dibona.
Coventry, positioned only two seats away from Vance, did her best to raise spirits while addressing her fellow Olympians.
“Over the next two weeks, you’re going to give us something truly special,” she said. “You’ll show us what it means to be human. To dream. To overcome. To respect one another. To care for each other.
“This is why we all love the Games. Because through you, we see the very best of ourselves. You remind us that we can be brave. That we can be kind. That we can get back up, no matter how hard we fall.
“When we see grace, courage and friendship — we remember the kind of people we all want to be. The spirit of the Olympic Games is about so much more than sport. It is about us — and what makes us human. They remind us that we are all connected, that our strength comes from how we treat each other, and that the best of humanity is found in courage, compassion and kindness.
Models wearing creations designed by Giorgio Armani featured at the San Siro
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“So let these Games be a celebration of what unites us — of everything that makes us human. This is the magic of the Olympic Games.”
The magic is in the sport, a celebration of athletes displaying not just courage but extraordinary skill in their pursuit of Olympic glory; of Spanish figure skaters dressing as Minions, Lindsey Vonn defying medical science to race down a mountain with a busted knee, and ski jumpers being asked if they’d ever consider injecting their genitals to fly further.
The Games serve up these kinds of stories and, if nothing else, they arrive as a welcome distraction.