IOC responds to questions on potential Trump visit to Winter Olympics, fans flying Greenland flag

Описание: (17 Feb 2026)
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Milan, Italy - 17 February 2026
1. Officials arriving for briefing
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Adams, International Olympic Committee spokesperson: ++STARTS ON WIDE++
“You probably already know what I'm going to say, you wouldn't expect me to comment on the movements of heads of state, and I'm not going to disappoint you because I'm not going to. If you have a question on that one, I think you probably have to pose it to the White House. But certainly at this stage, we won't comment on the movements any head of state.”
3. Briefing
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Adams, International Olympic Committee spokesperson:
“I think we just try to have a sensible approach to these things, because very often an overreaction can be actually worse than the issue in the first place. So we try to have a sensible approach, but as I say, approved kind of regional flags have been flown in the past.”
5. Briefing
6. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Luca Casassa, Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee communications director:
“There are very specific rules, which we obviously share with the IOC colleagues, that are stated on the tickets as well, and when you buy a ticket it is clear what the rules are, controls at the entrances are thorough, and the staff inside competition venues intervene whenever there is a breach of a rule.”
7. Briefing
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Adams, International Olympic Committee spokesperson: ++STARTS ON WIDE++
“I would remind everyone involved, however tangentially in the Olympic Games of the values and the charter and of the idea of us trying to bring people together despite what's happening in the rest of the world, but in terms of specific comments by a commentator on one specific broadcast, I think that's a matter that you need to refer and ask questions to the broadcaster. That's not a question for us at this stage.”
9. Briefing
STORYLINE:
An International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson referred the media to the White House on Tuesday when asked if U.S. President Donald Trump was planning to attend the Winter Games this week.

An Italian daily newspaper reported Trump may head to Milan to attend the final of the men's ice hockey tournament at Milano Cortina 2026 on Sunday.

The U.S. has so far made it through to the quarter final stage.

IOC spokesperson Mark Adams and organizing committee spokesperson Luca Casassa also set out the Games' position after two fans raised a Greenland flag as Denmark played against the U.S. earlier in the tournament.

The two attendees who raised the flag say they were told by venue staff that they could not continue to hold it up.

A guide on the official Olympic website for the opening ceremony specified fans can only bring “flags of countries and territories participating in the Games.”

Adams also declined to comment on a Swiss television commentator's remarks on the participation of the Israeli two-man bobsleigh team.

AP video shot by Andrea Rosa

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