Overview
- The White House held the Rose Garden reception on Thursday, Aug. 6, to honor more than 120 athletes who competed for Team USA at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
- Team USA won 33 Olympic medals in January, including 12 golds, and Paralympians added significant medal totals that the White House cited when inviting attendees.
- A guest list provided to reporters shows notable absences, including no members of the U.S. women’s hockey team and some individual athletes who have had prior public tensions with the president.
- Speedskater Jordan Stolz is listed as attending after publicly placing a gold medal around the president’s neck at a June rally and some members of the men’s hockey team had previously met the president in the Oval Office in February.
- The reception was open to public streaming, making it a visible, media-facing event that highlights both celebration of athletic success and the political optics of who accepts or declines White House invitations.