"On February 6, the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics kick off with an opening ceremony featuring the likes of Mariah Carey and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. With lagging ticket sales among locals and protests clogging the streets of Milan to decry the presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as security for JD Vance's delegation, these Olympics already bear the stink of political discontent."
"In the face of controversy, the Olympic propaganda machine, now headed by new IOC president Kirsty Coventry, is cranking up to 11. Giovanni Malago, the president of the Italian National Olympic Committee, enthused that thanks to the Olympics, "2026 will be the year of Italy." Olympic officials are promising "a once-in-a-lifetime" experience at Milano Cortina. And yet, for something "once in the lifetime," its problems are all too familiar."
Milano Cortina 2026 opens February 6 with an opening ceremony featuring Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli. Local ticket sales lag while protests in Milan oppose the deployment of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as security for a US delegation. The Games coincide with broader geopolitical tensions following Beijing 2022 and Paris 2024, marking a politically charged moment for the Olympics. Organizers promote a celebratory national moment and "once-in-a-lifetime" experiences, while critics point to ongoing problems: overspending, corruption, intensified policing, and greenwashing. Recent IOC 'Olympic Agenda' reforms are being touted as implemented, yet core structural issues persist.
Read at The Nation
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