IOC chief laments 'distracting' news cycle ahead of 2026 Winter Olympics

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry lamented the large quality stories that person consumed the satellite up of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Coventry faced questions implicit the contention astir Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations successful the U.S. and the Jeffrey Epstein files being released arsenic she talked to reporters connected Sunday with the opening of the Milan Cortina Games days away.

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Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry meets the media successful Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)

While she tried to deflect, Coventry did accidental it was "sad" that the stories were taking attraction distant from the Olympics.

"I deliberation thing that is distracting from these Games is sad, right? But we’ve learned implicit the galore years … there’s ever been thing that has taken the lead, starring up to the Games," she said. "Whether it has been Zika, COVID, determination has ever been something.

"But what is keeping my religion live is that erstwhile that opening ceremonial happens and those athletes commencement competing, abruptly the satellite remembers the magic and the tone that the Games person and they get to abruptly retrieve what’s really important and they get to beryllium inspired and truthful we’re truly looking guardant to that."

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Border Patrol agents detain a idiosyncratic adjacent Roosevelt High School during dismissal clip arsenic national migration enforcement actions sparked protests successful Minneapolis, Minnesota, connected Jan. 7, 2026. (Kerem Yucel/ AFP via Getty Images)

Coventry faced questions astir ICE arsenic the national agents were acceptable to beryllium utilized to assistance information for the U.S. delegation – which caused protests successful Italy.

"From each the accusation that we person and I judge that the US authorities, arsenic the different authorities, person made each the clarifications needed, truthful from our broadside that’s not for america to further remark connected that portion of the security. But we’re truly looking guardant to the games," Coventry said of ICE.

On Saturday, a caller batch of emails successful the Epstein lawsuit showed correspondence betwixt Los Angeles Olympic organizing committee seat Casey Wasserman and Epstein’s one-time woman Ghislane Maxwell. The speech occurred successful 2003.

"We didn’t sermon it yesterday and I judge Mr. Wasserman has enactment retired his connection and we present person thing further to add," she said.

Coventry added that the absorption has been connected Milan Cortina.

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The Winter Olympics statesman Friday with the opening ceremony.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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