{"id":8917,"date":"2026-02-04T09:23:52","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T02:23:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=8917"},"modified":"2026-02-04T09:23:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T02:23:55","slug":"winter-olympic-security-tightens-as-us-european-tensions-grow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/winter-olympic-security-tightens-as-us-european-tensions-grow\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Olympic security tightens as US-European tensions\u00a0grow"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Since the murder of 11 Israeli hostages at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, security has been fundamental for games stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2024 Paris games set new benchmarks for security at a mega-event, and now the presence of American security officials in Milan Cortina threatens to darken this year\u2019s Winter Olympics before they even start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DUO6XfGjLYl\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DUO6XfGjLYl\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DUO6XfGjLYl\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by USA TODAY (@usatoday)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Security at the games<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The scale of security at the games has magnified considerably since the 1970s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the 2024 Olympics, the French government mobilised an unprecedented 45,000 police officers from around the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the opening ceremony, these forces cordoned off six kilometres of the Seine River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Advocates point to Paris as an example of security done correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Milipol Paris \u2013 one of the world\u2019s largest annual conferences on policing and security \u2013 pointed to lower crime across the country during the games and a complete absence of any of the feared large security events. It stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The operation demonstrated the effectiveness of advanced planning, inter-agency cooperation and strong logistical coordination. Authorities and observers are now reflecting on which elements of the Paris 2024 model might be applied to future large-scale events.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>However, critics complained the security measures infringed on civil liberties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Controversy as ICE heads to Italy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ahead of the Milan Cortina games, which run from February 4-23, Italian officials promised they were \u201cready to meet the challenge of security\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A newly established cybersecurity headquarters will include officials from around the globe, who will sift through intelligence reports and react to issues in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As well as this, security will feature:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>6,000 officers to protect the two major locations \u2013 Milan and Cortina d&#8217;Ampezzo<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>a no-fly zone around key sites<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>a constant restricted access cordon around some sites (as seen in Paris).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the security officers working in the cybersecurity headquarters will come from the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Traditionally the US diplomatic security service provides protection for US athletes and officials attending mega-events overseas. It has been involved in the games since 1976.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Late last month, however, news broke that some of the officers will be from \u201ca unit of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>US and Italian officials were quick to differentiate between Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which handles cross-border crime, and Enforcement and Removal Operations, the department responsible for the brutal crackdown on immigrant communities across the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The HSI has helped protect athletes at previous events and will be stationed at the US Consulate in Milan to provide support to the broader US security team at the games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the organisation\u2019s reputation precedes them, and Italians are wary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Milan, demonstrators expressed outrage. Left-wing Mayor Giuseppe Sala called ICE a \u201ca militia that kills\u201d while protests broke out in the host cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hundreds of Italians protested in Milan over the involvement of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement staff in supporting the US delegation at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/m6DH2DIuno\">pic.twitter.com\/m6DH2DIuno<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Reuters (@Reuters) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Reuters\/status\/2017703181388492980?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 31, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">US-European relations are stretched<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The presence of ICE has also illuminated fractures within Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni\u2019s governing coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani defended the inclusion of the US officers, saying \u201cit\u2019s not like the SS are coming\u201d, referring to the Nazis paramilitary force in Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, local officials, including those from Meloni\u2019s centre-right coalition, expressed concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tension inside Meloni\u2019s government reflects broader concerns on the continent about US-European relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will attend the opening ceremony in Milan, despite some Europeans viewing Vance as the mouthpiece for US President Donald Trump\u2019s imperial agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trump\u2019s desire to take over Greenland has undermined American and European support for trans-Atlantic amity and the NATO alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just ahead of the Olympics, Danish veterans marched outside the US Embassy after Trump disparaged NATO\u2019s contribution to US-led operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. These protests added to Danes\u2019 fears about Trump\u2019s Greenland ambition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tensions in Denmark remain high as the Americans and the Danes gear up to play ice hockey in the opening round robin of the men\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elsewhere, politicians in the US on both sides have raised concerns that Trump\u2019s bombastic rhetoric will make it harder for American athletes to compete and win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A double standard?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Critics argue there is an American exception when it comes to global politics interfering in international sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under Trump, the US has attacked Iran and Venezuela, called on Canada to become its 51st state, threatened to occupy Greenland and engaged in cross-border operations in Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite this, US competitors can still wear their nation\u2019s colours at the Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Compare this to Belarussian and Russian athletes, who are only eligible to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and only under the condition they have not been publicly supportive of the invasion. An International Olympic Committee (IOC) body assesses each competitor\u2019s eligibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Israeli athletes have also been under the spotlight amid geopolitical tensions in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following the Israeli invasion of Gaza in October 2023, a panel of independent experts at the United Nations urged soccer\u2019s governing body FIFA to ban Israeli athletes, stating:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>sporting bodies must not turn a blind eye to grave human rights violations.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>But FIFA, and the IOC, have recently defended Israeli athletes\u2019 right to participate in international sport in the face of boycotts and protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Competitors from Israel can represent their country at the Winter Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The political developments which have caused ructions worldwide ironically come after the IOC\u2019s 2021 decision to update the Olympic motto to supposedly recognise the \u201cunifying power of sport and the importance of solidarity\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The change was a simple one, adding the word \u201ctogether\u201d after the original three-word motto: \u201cfaster, higher, stronger\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It remains to be seen whether the Milan Cortina games live up to every aspect of the \u201cfaster, higher, stronger \u2013 together\u201d motto, not just the first three words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/keith-rathbone-402762\">Keith Rathbone<\/a>, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/macquarie-university-1174\">Macquarie University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/winter-olympic-security-tightens-as-us-european-tensions-grow-274530\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since the murder of 11 Israeli hostages at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, security has been fundamental for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[71],"class_list":["post-8917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-olympics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Munich-Olympic.png",2000,1125,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Munich-Olympic-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Munich-Olympic-300x169.png",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Munich-Olympic-768x432.png",640,360,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Munich-Olympic-1024x576.png",640,360,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Munich-Olympic-1536x864.png",1536,864,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Munich-Olympic.png",2000,1125,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Munich-Olympic-825x575.png",825,575,true],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Munich-Olympic-590x410.png",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/opinion\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Opinion<\/a>","tag_info":"Opinion","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Munich-Olympic.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8917"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8920,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8917\/revisions\/8920"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}