MILAN (AP) — Two fans raised a Greenlandic flag as the United States played Denmark in a men’s hockey game at the Winter Olympics, saying they did so to show European support for Greenland and Denmark.
Vita Kalniņa and her husband Alexander Kalniņš, fans of the Latvian hockey team who live in Germany, raised a large Greenlandic flag during the warm-up and again when Denmark scored the first goal in their preliminary round match against the United States.
advertise
“We are Europeans and I think as Europeans we have to unite,” Kalnish told The Associated Press.
“The people of Greenland decide what will happen to Greenland, but for now, Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and since Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, as in this case, we support both countries against the United States”
Other U.S. and Danish fans watching their teams’ Olympic hockey game in Milan on Saturday said they believed sports transcended politics amid recent tensions between the two governments over Greenland.
Trump’s comments in recent weeks about taking control of Greenland have stoked national pride in Denmark, which oversees the semi-autonomous island. There’s no extra motivation for the players that the two teams happen to face each other at the Milan Cortina Olympics, but for them it’s a chance to ride a wave of patriotism as important underdogs.
___
Kostya Manenkov, James Ellingworth and Stephen Whyno in Milan contributed to this report.
___
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
