Former EPSN star Sarah Spain has said she felt ‘ill’ as she sat in close proximity to JD Vance at the Winter Olympics.
The vice president was booed at the San Siro for the opening ceremony earlier this month after the cameras panned to him and his wife, Usha, who were waving American flags during the event to kick start the Milano Cortina 2026.
One of the commentators for CNN said of the matter: « There is the vice-president JD Vance and his wife Usha – oops, those are not … uh … those are a lot of boos for him. Whistling, jeering, some applause.”
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Spain, the Good Game With Sarah Spain host, says she was sat just 20 metres away from Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the Trump administration officials stuck around after the opening ceremony to watch the US women’s team play Czechia in the hockey.
Speaking on her podcast, Spain said: « Twelve minutes into the first period, that area suddenly is awash with large men in suits with earpieces. And here comes JD Vance carrying a child and a bunch of security, and eventually Marco Rubio.
« When I see JD Vance’s eyeliner face, I literally feel ill, like a basilisk had looked you in the eye and death was awaiting you on the other side. »The podcaster added: « And I don’t even believe in that, but my body felt like when you’ve been spooked and you have a little tingle that feels like, ‘ooh, something’s not right.’ That’s what my body felt like. And I was in no way prepared to see him. »
The sports presenter, who’s in Italy covering the Winter Olympics, went on to claim Vance and Rubio’s security blocked her view of the sporting action.
« It made me so angry, » Spain said of the obstruction. « Not just because his f****** Secret Service were blocking half the ice … like, we’re trying to watch a hockey game. »
Speaking of Vance, she then concluded: « You ruined it. »
UNILAD has reached out to the vice president’s office for comment.After Vance was jeered at the opening ceremony, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said at a press conference: « What I would say from the IOC point of view is with the next Games coming up in Los Angeles, we are super happy that the US administration is so engaged with the Games here and going forward. That’s a great thing for the Olympic movement.
“We are largely a sports organisation and seeing the US team cheered as they were by the audience, fair play, that was fantastic, so very happy.
« In general at sporting events we like to see fair play, but in terms of having a good relationship with the administration, that’s good news for us.”
Ilia Malinin is set to take on the most difficult ice skating move in the Winter Olympics on Friday (February 13).
The Team USA star already made history at the Milano Cortina Winter Games by performing the first legal backflip on Olympic ice in 50 years.
Backflips were banned in 1976 after American skater Terry Kubicka landed the risky move at the Innsbruck Winter Games.
The ban remained in place for decades, though French skater Surya Bonaly famously performed an illegal backflip at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, receiving a deduction for it.
In 2024, the long-standing prohibition was finally lifted.
Now, Ilia has his sights set on another historic goal during the men’s free skate on Friday.The 21-year-old is poised to perform a quad axel – a figure skating jump that requires the skater to complete four and a half rotations in the air before landing.
« I’m hoping that I’ll feel good enough to do it [on Friday], » he told reporters, via Fox News, earlier this week.
« But, of course, I always prioritize health and safety, so I really want to put myself in the right mindset where I’ll feel really confident to go into it and not have that as something that I’m going to risk. »
In Thursday’s practice, Ilia landed the move – which you can see for yourself below.
The men’s free skate takes place Men’s free skate between 1pm and 5.10 pm ET.
The athlete is the first and only to successfully land the quad axel in competition, earning himself the nickname ‘Quad God.’
He landed the complex rotation in September 2022 at the CS US International Figure Skating Classic when he was only 18 years old.
Ilia has pulled it off multiple times since, including at the 2025 Grand Prix Final.
The quad axel has been attempted by other athletes, too, including Japanese skater Yuzuru Hanyu at the 2021 Japanese Championships.
However the double Olympic champion couldn’t quite pull it off, under-rotating and landing on two feet, as Forbes reports.
He tried once again during the 2022 Olympic Games, but once again didn’t succeed. Hanyu retired later that year, having won two Olympic gold medals and seven world medals – but without being able to pull of the move.
So if Ilia lands it cleanly on Friday, it could cement his status as one of the sport’s most daring and technically gifted skaters ever.
No pressure, then!
The Olympic Committee has issued a response after athletes from both the US and Israel were booed at the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday (February 6).
Italy’s famous San Siro played host to the opening ceremony, despite the games officially getting underway on Wednesday (February 4).
Mariah Carey headlined the show, while the iconic nations parade also took place as fans were introduced to all the countries involved in the Games.
Both the US and Israeli team’s walkout were greeted with boos, with the American side of things seemingly aimed at the vice president as jeers were heard as the cameras cut to JD Vance and his wife, Usha, who were waving American flags during the opening ceremony.
CBC’s broadcast of the event was certainly enlightening, as one of the commentators said: « There is the vice-president JD Vance and his wife Usha – oops, those are not … uh … those are a lot of boos for him. Whistling, jeering, some applause.”The four athletes representing Israel were also booed as they entered the San Siro.
Now, the Olympic Committee has issued a response following the booing aimed at Vance in particular.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said at a press conference on Saturday (February 8): « What I would say from the IOC point of view is with the next Games coming up in Los Angeles, we are super happy that the US administration is so engaged with the Games here and going forward. That’s a great thing for the Olympic movement.
“We are largely a sports organisation and seeing the US team cheered as they were by the audience, fair play, that was fantastic, so very happy.“In general at sporting events we like to see fair play, but in terms of having a good relationship with the administration, that’s good news for us.”
The spokesperson continued: “The whole idea, or one of the ideas of the Olympic Movement, is that the athletes shouldn’t be punished for whatever their governments have done, and I think that’s really important, that we see the athletes and athletic performance for what that says about humanity.
“I know the Italian supporters love their sport. I think when they start seeing amazing performances, whatever nationality, they will cheer those performances.”
Prior to the beginning of the Winter Olympics kicking off, IOC president Kirsty Coventry urged fans to be ‘respectful’ to all competing nations.
US Vice President JD Vance has weighed in on the ‘issues’ he believes Europe faces, just days after he received backlash for a comment many felt was aimed at the UK.
JD Vance clearly isn’t done with dishing out advice, not only warning Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskky of not being ‘disrespectful’ towards the US during his trip to the White House’s Oval Office, but now offering a few choice words to Europe too.
Asked how he sees the US’ relationship with Europe, Vance told Fox News: « I really believe we have great deal in common with Europe. And yes the Europeans annoy me sometimes and I disagree with them on certain issues but we have to remember that is the cradle of Western civilisation.
« The entire idea of Christian civilisation that led to the founding of the United States of America, that was formed in Europe – the cultural bonds, the religious bonds – these things are going to last beyond political disagreements. »
However, Vance warned Europe is ‘at risk’ of ‘engaging in civilisational suicide’.
While noting he would’ve said the US was at risk of doing the same a year ago, Vance continued: « They are unable – or unwilling – too many countries to control their borders. You see them starting to push back against that and that’s a good thing.
« You see them starting to limit the free speech of their citizens, even as their citizens are protesting against things like the border invasion that got Donald Trump and a number of European leaders elected. »He added: « I want Europe to thrive. I want them to be an important ally. Part of that is going to be Europe respecting its own people, respecting its own sovereignty and America can’t do that job for them. »
Vance later resolved when looking at Europe, the US sees ‘a great civilisation’ and a ‘great ally’ but ‘also sees some free speech issues’ and ‘sees that they’re doing things on borders which aren’t ultimately bad for their countries but are bad for us’.
« Friends can have honest conversations with each other, » he went on.
Whether or not he could argue his comments ‘about UK troops’ were all part of ‘friends’ having ‘honest conversations with each other,’ well, others weren’t left so convinced.While speaking on Fox News on March 4, Vance said: “The president knows that if you want real US security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine.
« That is a way better security guarantee from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years. »
One Twitter user commented: “JD Vance’s claim that the UK hasn’t fought a war in 30-40 years insults the 600+ British troops who died in Iraq and Afghanistan alongside Americans.
“Disrespectful to their sacrifice and our alliance, time for an apology, not ignorance.”
An athlete at the Winter Olympics has updated social media about the state of accommodation at the winter Olympics following that ‘anti-sex bed’ saga.
It’s safe to say we all probably remember how the 2024 Olympics in Paris used cardboard beds for the athletes staying in the Olympic Village.
This was supposedly in an attempt to deter them from having sex, as the Olympic-sized condom handouts revealed if you pack a load of single people at the very peak of human physical capability into an enclosed village for several weeks, then some of them might want to pass some of their downtime together.
The Olympic committee refuted this, claiming the cardboard beds were purely for sustainability, which makes sense as it seems unlikely that the most physically and athletically gifted people in the world wouldn’t be able to figure out a way to do the deed without a bed.
But with the Winter Olympics now underway in Italy, what about the state of the accommodation this year?Well, Team GB ice dancer Phebe Bekker took to her page @ phebebekker to give her 28k TikTok followers the lowdown on her accommodation for this year’s games in Milan.
And it seems that athletes have seen an upgrade in the material their beds have been made from.
Introducing her video, Phebe said she’d be investigating the question everyone was asking – whether the beds were made out of cardboard again.
« Are the beds cardboard? » she asked as she approached the bed, before giving it a resonant-sounding knock.
Confirming that they were in fact proper, sturdy, bed frames, she said: « We’re looking good. That’s a mattress. »
She added: « You heard it here first, there are no cardboard beds, well as far as I know. »
However, speaking to UNILAD, she explained that this is not actually removing the supposed anti-sex beds.
Honestly, minds out of the gutter, please.
Phebe said that it’s actually because the Olympic Committee has already considered a further use for the accommodation after the Olympics are over.Once the games are finished and the athletes depart, the accommodation will become the largest student accommodation in Italy, she explained.
Bearing that in mind, it makes more sense to have furniture that can be reused after the games are done, rather than having to recycle cardboard beds afterwards.
Phebe will be taking to the ice to represent Team GB in the ice dancing alongside her partner, James Hernandez.
Ice dancing is a subset of figure skating that includes elements of ballroom dancing, with competitors taking to the ice as a couple.
