MILAN — Team USA entered Friday’s opening ceremony at San Siro Stadium on a chilly night in Milan to mark the symbolic start of the 2026 Winter Olympics. But unlike the weather, the Americans received a warm welcome.
As U.S. Olympians walked into the stadium in matching Ralph Lauren ensembles during the Parade of Nations, choruses of cheers rang out across the crowd of spectators, until U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, were shown on the stadium’s Jumbotron. At the sight of Vance waving miniature American flags from the San Siro grandstand, the crowd booed loudly.
The U.S. was the third-to-last country to enter, preceding France, host of the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps, and host country Italy, which traditionally ends the Parade of Nations. The U.S. team was led by speed skater Erin Jackson, who proudly waved the American flag on a stage situated under gold Olympic rings.
The Parade of Nations was simultaneously held across four locations, with American athletes entering separate venues across Livigno, Predazzo and Cortina, depending on which venue hosted the athlete’s event. Bobsledder Frank Del Duca served as the American flag bearer in Cortina.
Vance received verbal jeers as the country’s political turmoil under the Trump administration plays out across global headlines. Ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday, staged protests against U.S. immigration’s reported presence in Italy were held in Milan. A U.S. Olympic official confirmed that ICE agents weren’t part of the country’s delegation on Thursday, but the official couldn’t confirm if agents were assisting the U.S. embassy’s security plan.
President Donald Trump has frequented domestic sporting events, including the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in Miami last month and Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans last year, but he was absent from the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Instead, Vance led a U.S. delegation that included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Tom Fertitta, the U.S. ambassador to Italy.
Vance was seated next to the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, and President of the International Olympic, Kirsty Coventry. Vance’s initial appearance appeared to go unnoticed by spectators, which instead cheered at the introduction of Mattarella. But the crowd let their feelings be known during the Parade of Nations.
The Israeli delegation was also booed earlier in the Parade of Nations, while Ukraine received a lengthy applause.
Earlier Friday, Vance met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and took in several performances during the team figure skating event.
Follow Cydney Henderson on X @CydHenderson
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
