Winter Olympics opening ceremony errors prompt mass journalist strike

10 Feb 2026 • 7:15 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Journalists from Italy's state-owned broadcaster RaiSport are protesting after commentator Paolo Petrecca made numerous embarrassing mistakes during the Milan Cortina Winter Games opening ceremony.
  • Mr Petrecca's blunders included misidentifying Milan's San Siro stadium as Rome's Stadio Olimpico and mistaking Italian actress Matilda De Angelis for Mariah Carey.
  • He also incorrectly identified International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry as the daughter of Italian President Sergio Mattarella and failed to recognise members of Italy's world champion volleyball teams.
  • In response, RaiSport journalists announced protest measures, including withholding bylines until the end of the Winter Olympics and a three-day strike after the Games conclude.
  • Mr Petrecca has since been removed from the closing ceremony commentary team, and the channel's internal union expressed widespread embarrassment over the incident.

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