IOC praises warm Olympic diplomacy with Vance in Milan after fans boo at opening ceremony

MILAN (AP) — Though U.S. Vice President JD Vance was booed by some spectators at the Winter Games opening ceremony, there was warmth with Olympic leaders at a key point in diplomatic relations ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games.

Vance and International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry had “a very good chemistry” in meetings over two days in Milan, the IOC said Saturday.

Hosting Vance at a formal dinner Thursday before the Milan Cortina Olympics opening Friday was Coventry’s first direct contact with the United States government. The two-time swimming gold medalist and former sports minister of Zimbabwe was elected as the IOC’s first female leader in March.

The anxiety of some IOC members, especially from Africa, over how welcome the world will be in the United States in 2 1/2 years’ time was made clear Tuesday to leaders of the LA organizing team.

“With the next games coming up in Los Angeles we are super happy, very happy that the U.S. administration is so engaged with the games here and going forward,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Saturday at a news conference reflecting on the opening ceremony.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has a crucial role in planning for the next Summer Games with responsibility for federal security operations and processing visas for tens of thousands of athletes, officials and visitors from more than 200 national teams. 

Pressed for details on discussions between Vance and Coventry, who sat together for the three-plus hour ceremony at San Siro stadium, Adams said: “I know it went incredibly well, there was a very good chemistry.”

“She was very pleased about the enthusiasm of the vice president and the whole administration for the games, which obviously for us is an important thing,” he said.

Vance, who attended ice hockey and figure skating events in Milan, was clearly booed and whistled at in the soccer stadium when he and his wife, Usha, were displayed on screens as U.S. athletes joined the ceremony parade. The athletes had been cheered moments earlier.

“We are largely a sports organization and seeing the U.S. team cheered as they were by the audience,” Adams said, “fair play, that was fantastic.”

The Italian chief executive of the Winter Games organizing committee deflected a question about how his country currently views the U.S.

“I heard incredible cheering when the U.S. team entered the stadium,” Andrea Varnier said. “Honestly, I didn’t hear anything else. I just read (in) the papers afterwards.”

Some protests in Milan’s streets flared since it was confirmed 10 days before the games opened that staff from ICE, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement department, are involved in American security planning for the Olympics.

The investigations unit within ICE involved in the Olympics is separate from the enforcement unit at the forefront of the immigration crackdown in the U.S. including deaths of protesters in Minneapolis.

___

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics