Italy’s state broadcaster RAI issued an apology to the Jewish community on Saturday after an off-air remark advising producers to “avoid" the Israeli crew was broadcast ahead of coverage of the Four-Man bobsleigh event at the Winter Olympics, Reuters reported.
During Saturday’s broadcast, viewers heard the words, “Let’s avoid crew number 21, which is the Israeli one" followed by “no, because ..." before the audio was abruptly cut.
“I firmly condemn the statements made today by a RAI journalist regarding the Israeli bobsleigh delegation at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics," said Jonathan Peled, Israel’s ambassador, in a post on social media.
“There should be no room in sport for incitement to hatred, discrimination based on national, cultural, or religious beliefs, and any offensive rhetoric. We are confident that the RAI management will take all necessary measures to ensure that similar incidents are not repeated," he added.
RAI CEO Giampaolo Rossi described the episode as a “serious" breach of the principles of impartiality, respect and inclusion that are meant to guide the public broadcaster.
He said RAI had opened an internal inquiry to quickly determine responsibility and examine possible disciplinary measures.
In a separate statement, RAI’s board of directors condemned the remark as “unacceptable" and apologized to the Jewish community, the athletes involved and viewers who were offended.
This incident marks the second anti-Israel controversy during the Olympics. Earlier this week, a reporter with Swiss broadcaster Radio Television Suisse (RTS) spent a significant portion of the broadcast attacking an Israeli athlete.
The commentator questioned the presence of the Israeli at the Olympic Games due to his alleged support for Israel's military operations in Gaza.
The commentary was aired during a run by Israeli athletes Adam Edelman and Chen Menachem in the two-man bobsleigh event on Monday.
The journalist, Stefan Renna, claimed that Edelman’s support for the Israeli military during the conflict with Hamas violated International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules regarding political statements by athletes.
Renna stated that Edelman identifies as a Zionist and has posted social media messages in favor of what the reporter described as "genocide" in Gaza. He also claimed Edelman had mocked "Free Palestine" graffiti seen during a World Cup race.
“One can therefore question his presence in Cortina during these Games," Renna said, citing IOC rules on military connections and active support of war.
Following backlash over the incident, RTS announced that it removed the offensive commentary from its website.