By Andrea Mandala MILAN, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Italy's state broadcaster RAI was forced to apologise to the Jewish community on Saturday after an off‑air remark advising its producers to "avoid" the
Italy’s RAI apologizes after off-air remark about Israeli bobsleigh team
By Andrea Mandala
RAI Apology and Governance Fallout
MILAN, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Italy's state broadcaster RAI was forced to apologise to the Jewish community on Saturday after an off‑air remark advising its producers to "avoid" the Israeli crew was broadcast before coverage of the Four-Man bobsleigh event at the Winter Olympics.
Leadership turmoil at Rai Sport
The head of RAI's sports division had already resigned earlier in the week after his error-ridden commentary at the Milano Cortina 2026 opening ceremony two weeks ago triggered a revolt among its journalists.
Off-air remark aired on Rai 2
On Saturday, viewers heard "Let's avoid crew number 21, which is the Israeli one" and then "no, because ..." before the sound was cut off.
RAI CEO Giampaolo Rossi said the incident represented a "serious" breach of the principles of impartiality, respect and inclusion that should guide the public broadcaster.
Internal inquiry and board response
He added that RAI had opened an internal inquiry to swiftly determine any responsibility and any potential disciplinary procedures.
In a separate statement RAI's board of directors condemned the remark as "unacceptable".
Apology to affected groups
The board apologised to the Jewish community, the athletes involved and all viewers who felt offended.
RAI is the country's largest media organisation and operates national television, radio and digital news services.
Union backlash over credibility
The union representing RAI journalists, Usigrai, had said Paolo Petrecca's opening ceremony commentary had dealt "a serious blow" to the company's credibility.
Commentary errors highlighted
His missteps included misidentifying venues and public figures, and making comments about national teams that were widely criticised.
(Reporting by Andrea Mandalà; Editing by Alison Williams)
