Gerrard Kaonga
JD Vance wasn’t exactly welcomed warmly during the opening ceremony of this year’s Winter Olympics after being shown briefly on screen.
While the Winter Olympics committee was hoping for pure harmony and bliss at the opening ceremony in Milan on February 6, the crowd had other ideas.
While all countries got cheers as the athletes walked about the stadium, there was a brief moment that caught the commentators by surprise.
As American athletes walked out, the crowd cheered as normal, however, when it very briefly cut to JD Vance and his wife Usha, the crowd began to boo, hiss and jeer loudly.
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The commentator even said: “Uh... those are a lot of boos for him. Whistling, jeering, some applause.
“Not a long shot of him and his wife...”
Social media users also reflected on the videos circulating online that show Vance being booed.
One user wrote: “JD Vance being booed doesn’t just reflect on him—it’s a reminder of how domestic politics can spill onto the world stage, and how public perception abroad can differ drastically from at home.”
Another added: “JD Vance gets boos. The world just gave the Trump admin the loudest 'we're not with him.”
A third wrote: “Vance and Trump deserve much worse. I feel sorry for athletes who train so hard to represent their country with their courage, skill and honor.”
While another simply added: “The American athletes were cheered and respected...Vance not so much.”
LADBIBLEgroup has contacted NBC for comment for allegedly cutting out the boos from their broadcast.
Ahead of the incident, International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said: “I hope the opening ceremony is seen by everyone as an opportunity to be respectful.”
While the Vance boos were a highlight, the rest of the ceremony saw cheers and jubilation throughout the stadium. The loudest cheers were naturally reserved for the host nation, Italy.
While some events started ahead of the opening ceremony, fans will be hoping the next few days will see their nation take home as many gold medals home as possible.
Interestingly enough, the medals this year are expected to be the most expensive in the Games’ history.
More than 700 medals will be handed out to competitors across the Milan-Cortina games' 16 sports.
Each one will cost the hosts as much as three times the amount paid for each medal awarded at the 2024 Paris Olympics, due to the skyrocketing prices of gold and silver, which have doubled and tripled, respectively, in this time.