The beginning of the has been accompanied by multiple protests. This Thursday, nearly a hundred students gathered in the center of Milan to demonstrate against Israel’s presence in the competition, coinciding with the passing of the Olympic torch.
The protest took place in front of the University of Milan, on Via Francesco Sforza, where protesters chanted slogans such as “Free Palestine, free!” or “Israel out of the Olympic Games” and displayed banners critical of the event. Some of the participants described the relay as “The Olympic torch of shame, complicit in genocide and apartheid”, just as it appears
The Olympic flame is carried around the stage during the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at San Siro in Milan, Italy.
Despite the chants and boos, the Olympic flame procession It continued its journey without interruptions or notable incidents.limiting himself to slightly accelerating his pace when crossing the concentration zone.
The political climate was also noticeable during the opening ceremony at the San Siro stadium. When the Israeli delegation, made up of four athletes, paraded through the stadium, some of the public responded with whistles. However, other sectors responded with applause.
The scenes were repeated unevenly in other venues. In Cortina d’Ampezzo there were displays of support for Israeli athletes, while in Predazzo there were occasional protests during events related to ski jumping.
The skier Barnabas Szollos I had already anticipated that possibility before the ceremony and assured that he was prepared for any reaction, insisting that his attention was focused exclusively on competing. For its part, the International Olympic Committee chose not to intervene and maintained its position of neutrality, without issuing sanctions or statements after what happened.
