(TJV NEWS) The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics opened with spectacle, star power and roaring crowds — but also with political tension, street clashes and mounting security concerns that quickly pierced the celebratory mood.

American athletes were greeted enthusiastically during Friday night’s opening ceremony at Milan’s iconic San Siro stadium, according to AP. Led by speedskating star and flag bearer Erin Jackson, Team USA entered late in the parade of nations to loud cheers from the crowd.

That applause, however, shifted abruptly when cameras panned to Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance, who were seated in the tribune waving American flags. Jeers and whistles rippled through the stadium as the couple appeared on the giant screens, an unmistakable moment of political backlash during what is traditionally a nonpartisan Olympic celebration, AP reported.

The reaction underscored broader strains between the United States and parts of Europe, as support for Washington among its traditional allies has eroded under the Trump administration’s aggressive foreign-policy posture. Those tensions include sweeping tariffs, U.S. military action in Venezuela and rhetoric about potentially invading Greenland, according to AP. Jeers were also audible when Israel’s delegation entered the stadium, highlighting how global conflicts intruded on the pageantry.

The opening ceremony itself was lavish, celebrating Italian art and culture with performances by tenor Andrea Bocelli and American pop star Mariah Carey. Because events are spread across Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Livigno and Predazzo, the 2026 Games are the most geographically dispersed Winter Olympics in history, AP noted.

But outside the stadium, the Games faced a very different atmosphere.

On Saturday, large anti-Olympics demonstrations swept through Milan, drawing activists from the city, Lombardy and across northern Italy, CNN reported. Protesters criticized the environmental impact of Olympic construction projects and what they described as the Games’ economic and social costs, particularly on housing and local communities.

The march was organized by the Unsustainable Olympics Committee, a coalition that included grassroots sports groups, environmental activists, students, housing advocates, labor groups, pro-Palestinian networks and transfeminist collectives, according to CNN. Organizers also voiced opposition to what they called the Italian government’s “authoritarian security drift” and its treatment of racial minorities.

Protesters also called for an end to ICE in America, as the immigration enforcement agency has become reviled worldwide after violence in Minneapolis left 2 protesters dead in January, and their heavy-handed tactics and errors have resulted in innocent people being deported, including American citizens and Green Card holders.

As evening fell, tensions escalated. Near the Olympic Village — which was protected by a heavy police cordon — some demonstrators hurled firecrackers and smoke bombs in the direction of the secured area, though the objects fell short of the athletes’ housing, CNN reported. Clashes later erupted in Piazzale Corvetto, where a smaller group of protesters targeted police with fireworks. Officers responded with charges, tear gas and water cannons as police vans were also attacked.

While many demonstrators remained separate from the confrontations, the unrest added to growing concerns about security during the opening weekend of the Games.

Those fears intensified further north in Bologna, where Italian authorities are investigating what officials described as possible coordinated sabotage of railway infrastructure, CNN reported. Severe disruptions hit the rail network Saturday after three separate incidents were uncovered, including damage to electricity cables and the discovery of a rudimentary explosive device on a rail switch along the Bologna-Padova line, according to Italy’s rail operator Ferrovie dello Stato and Ansa.

Italy’s transport minister warned the incidents could amount to a “premeditated attack,” raising alarms as the country hosts one of the largest international sporting events in the world.

As competition gets underway across northern Italy, the Milan-Cortina Games are already shaping up to be defined by more than medals and moments — unfolding instead against a backdrop of political friction, public dissent and heightened security that shows no sign of fading.