Mariah Carey and a tribute to disco are hardly controversial.
For the 2026 Winter Games, the Olympics kept political messaging to a minimum, save for a couple of small segments.
‘Harmony between beauty and creativity.’
The games, which are taking place in Milan and Cortina, Italy, held two parades for the opening ceremonies. Athletes came from the mountains, where they will compete in Cortina, down to the town square to celebrate, while fans packed the San Siro Olympic Stadium in Milan to watch the ceremonial performances.
The ceremony opened with a montage video featuring skiers, a woman making a bowl of pasta, cappuccinos, families on a mountain, Italian sports cars, and more.
According to NBC’s commentary team, the ceremony that followed was meant to represent “harmony between beauty and creativity.”
This featured dancers dressed as angels performing a lot of interpretive movements, which was a recurring theme throughout the near-hour-long event. There were mascots serving as an ode to Italian composers, giant paint tubes, and even a segment dedicated to disco dancing.
After Mariah Carey sang in Italian, a few of the more contentious elements of the ceremony appeared.
First, a very diverse cast of fans arrived at the stadium on a train before Armani-clad models in Italian colors delivered the Italian flag to the podium. Then, an “all-female honor guard,” which NBC noted was the first of its kind for the Olympics, raised the flag.
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Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
What seemingly caused the most disagreement was the Olympic committee using giant rings to represent harmony between dueling ideals, which then turned into the Olympic rings. Fans pointed out on X that this was similar to London‘s use of the rings in 2012.
“Bit of a London copy of 2012,” one viewer wrote.
“Copying the [Brits] I see! Nothing will top 2012 opening and closing ceremonies,” another person reacted.
Overall, the general lack of divisive messaging in the ceremony was appreciated by viewers, with one applauding the organizers. “Italy. No woke garbage.”
The 2024 Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony sparked worldwide controversy, however, particularly with Christians. The ceremony mocked the Bible’s Last Supper with a “drag queen Last Supper,” replacing Jesus and his apostles with a cast of disturbing characters, including an obese woman in the place of Jesus.
A nearly nude male, painted blue, appeared as Dionysus, the god of winemaking, vegetation, fertility, and ecstasy.
The strange events were also coupled with a drag queen carrying the Olympic torch before the games started.
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Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
In 2026, rapper Snoop Dogg, who is a part of the NBC Olympics crew, wore a special Italian Olympic chain. This is noteworthy because in 2024, the musician was accused of wearing a chain that some alleged was a representation of Baphomet. Baphomet is a pagan god adopted as a symbol for the Satanic Temple.
Snoop rejected the idea, saying he had it made because “somebody told me I was the GOAT, so I wanted to make me a goat chain.”
This time around, Snoop focused on celebrating the Jamaican bobsled team, which is drawing comparisons to the 1993 film “Cool Runnings.”
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Sports, Olympics, Opening ceremony, Italy, Winter olympics, Diversity, Woke, Politics