Swiss Broadcaster Removes Controversial Commentary on Israeli Bobsledder

Controversy Surrounding Israeli Athlete's Participation

By Julien Pretot and Mitch Phillips

Details of the Commentary

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Swiss broadcaster RTS said it had pulled from its website the commentary on an Olympic bobsleigh run in which one reporter questioned at length the presence of an Israeli athlete in Milano Cortina because of his alleged support for Israel's actions in the Gaza war.

Reactions from the Athlete

The commentary on Radio Television Suisse was aired throughout one of the runs of Israelis Adam Edelman and Chen Menachem in the two-man bobsleigh event on Monday.

IOC's Response

The commentator, Stefan Renna, said Edelman had supported the actions of the Israeli military in the Gaza conflict and he suggested that this breached the International Olympic Committee's rules on political statements by athletes at the Games.

"Our journalist wished to question the IOC's policy regarding the statements made by the athlete concerned," RTS said in a statement to Reuters.

"However, although factual, such information may have appeared inappropriate due to its length within the context of a sports commentary. For this reason, we removed the segment from our website last night."

The IOC said on Tuesday that questions about individual comments made by commentators must be directed to broadcasters. The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation referred questions to the IOC.

Renna said in his commentary that Edelman defined himself as a Zionist, posted messages on social media in favour of what Renna referred to as the "genocide" in Gaza and had mocked a "Free Palestine" inscription he had seen on a wall on the sidelines of a World Cup race, among other things.

"One can therefore question his presence in Cortina during these Games," he said, citing IOC rules on athletes' military connections and active support of war, including through their activities on social media. 

American-born Edelman posted on social media that he was aware of Renna's commentary, which he described as a "diatribe".  

"WE'RE VICTORS, NOT VICTIMS"

After their third run at the sliding centre on Tuesday night, an upbeat Edelman told Reuters that there could have been "no greater contrast" than between the commentary and what the team had achieved on the track.

"The team really came together in a spectacular way to accomplish something," he said.

"We're victors, not victims. We just moved forward and we came here and we crushed it today, and we're looking forward to the four-man for the rest of the week.

"If people have a problem with posting love and support for the country, that's their problem."

IOC rules on active support of war relate only to Russian and Belarusian athletes who are allowed to compete at the Olympics as neutrals despite the ban on their countries, following Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 

Renna, who has been forbidden by RTS from discussing his commentary, also cited the case of Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified from the Olympics last week for wearing a helmet depicting compatriot athletes killed since the Russian invasion.

Edelman and Menachem finished last in the 26-sled field.

"The Israeli bobsled team is going to live on. We were here," Edelman added.

"No one's going to remember the times, no one's going to remember the placement .. and no one's going to remember what happened yesterday."

(Reporting by Julien Pretot and Mitch Phillips; additional reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Hugh Lawson and Ken Ferris)