Winter Olympic viewers call out 'satanic' moment during opening ceremony

Jess Battison
2026-02-07T11:18:28.833Z
News

First booing JD Vance, now this... what's next to come out of the Winter Olympics?

The Winter Olympics kicked off in style last night (6 February) as the opening ceremony took place at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy.

With a bit of boo’ing for two countries during the parades, there was also performances from Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli, as well as giant papier-mache bobble heads and a tribute to the late Giorgio Armani.

But as part of all this spectacle with a theme of ‘armonia’ (meaning harmony), some viewers took to social media to call out a supposed ‘satanic’ moment.

The 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Games had its opening ceremony spread across four different venues in northern Italy and to reflect this, there was an unprecedented double cauldron lighting.

In Milan, Italian skiing legends Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni jointly lit the cauldron at the Arc of Peace in Milan, while alpine hero Sofia Goggia lit a second in Cortina.

The cauldron in Milan used for the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, is causing backlash for being 'satanic'. (Lars Baron/Getty Images)

And it was the design of these cauldrons that received backlash. Made of aeronautical aluminium, the giant orb-like structures with a geometrical pattern have been accused online of ‘featuring Satanic symbolism’.

“Looks like something straight out of hell,” one user wrote on X following the cauldron lighting as another slammed: “This is not a Satanic Ceremony it's the opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics, 2026.”

A third even claimed: “A clearly visible upside down pentagram at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. Revelation of the method.

“As if you needed more PROOF that this world is run by Satan and his minions. This doesn’t look like the ‘Winter Olympics’… It looks like a scene from hell. The EVIL is palpable.”

Others even compared it to the ‘Hunger Games’ as one wrote: “I can’t believe people still watch this garbage.”

However, many slammed this narrative as they wrote: “You’ll turn literally anything into somethings it’s not just to fit your narrative. This is desperate and embarrassing.”

There is a second cauldron in Cortina meant to symbolise harmony. (Stefano Rellandini-Pool/Getty Images)

Milano Cortina 2026 described the cauldrons as a ‘powerful symbol of harmony between the two host cities and the territories of the widespread Games’.

The structures are the ‘result of a project by Marco Balich in collaboration with Lida Castelli and Paolo Fantin’.

With the diameter expanding from 3.1 metres when closed to 4.1 metres when open, it integrated 244 pivot points and 1,440 components, mounted on pins and bearings.

“The design recalls the genius of Leonardo da Vinci and his famous Knots, geometric interlacing symbolizing the harmony between nature and human ingenuity,” the description adds. “A tribute to Leonardo and his historic connection with Milano, a city that stands as a symbol of creativity and innovation.”