Philippines flag held high in Milan

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine bets Francis Ceccarelli and Tallulah Proulx, both in Alpine skiing, were all smiles and waved the flag as the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics opened on Friday with a glittering ceremony at the San Siro stadium echoed by festivities at Games venues across the snow-capped Italian Alps.

The extravaganza reflected the most geographically widespread Olympics in history.

It culminated in the lighting of two cauldrons, one at Milan’s Arch of Peace and one in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the chic resort 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Milan that is hosting the women’s alpine skiing.

Ceccarelli, 22, and Proulx, 17, will see action in both the Giant Slalom and Slalom events from Feb. 14 to 18. They joined the opening ceremony with hopes of making their country proud in their respective events.

Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni, two Italian skiing Olympic champions of the past, lit an intricate cauldron inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s knot patterns at Milan’s Arch of Peace.

The ceremony in Milan showcased Italy’s rich cultural heritage, with a nod to late fashion giant Giorgio Armani.

An otherwise harmonious event was punctuated by loud boos from the crowd when US Vice President JD Vance appeared on the big screen at the San Siro stadium.

But the US team received loud applause from spectators as they began their parade.

There has been anger in Italy over the presence of agents from the US immigration enforcement agency ICE as part of security for the American delegation, even though the Italian government has said the agents will not have any operational role on its soil.