Olympic gold medalist doesn’t hold back on J.D. Vance boos: ‘nothing surprising’

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Olympic gold medalist doesn’t hold back on J.D. Vance boos: ‘nothing surprising’

February 7, 2026

The sights and sounds of politics have a way of mimicking sports. That’s never been more true, perhaps, than Friday at the Winter Olympics in Italy.

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J.D. Vance, the vice president of the United States of America, was booed by the crowd attending the Opening Ceremony.

Politicians from around the globe are no stranger to the Olympic Games. Booing is a familiar sound at sports events. But booing a politician at the Olympics is rare.

“It’s very rare to hear boos at an Olympic opening ceremony,” longtime USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan wrote on Twitter/X. “In my 22 Olympics it probably has happened but I sure don’t remember it. Vice President JD Vance just got booed when he appeared on the big screen. The US athletes, on the other hand, received loud cheers.”

It’s very rare to hear boos at an Olympic opening ceremony. In my 22 Olympics it probably has happened but I sure don’t remember it. Vice President JD Vance just got booed when he appeared on the big screen. The US athletes, on the other hand, received loud cheers.

— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) February 6, 2026

Brennan was stating facts. The crowd was giving voice to an opinion. Your own political leanings will dictate whether you believe the reaction was just.

Longtime NHL goaltender Dominik Hasek, who led the Czech Republic to a stunning gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics, made his opinion of Vance clear.

Given his and his president’s attitudes and actions, the booing was nothing surprising. Has anything like this ever happened to an American politician at the official opening of the Games in Olympic history?
pic.twitter.com/1ZVqOK0zt5

— Dominik Hasek (@hasek_dominik) February 6, 2026

“Given his and his president’s attitudes and actions, the booing was nothing surprising,” Hasek wrote on Twitter/X. “Has anything like this ever happened to an American politician at the official opening of the Games in Olympic history?”

Probably not, though the history of American politicians attending the Olympics — from then-vice president Richard Nixon at the 1960 Winter Games until today — is short enough to have offered few opportunities before Friday.