sports
February 17, 2026
Swiss broadcaster pulls Olympic commentary questioning presence of Israeli bobsledder
The Swiss broadcaster Radio Television Suisse said it had pulled from its website the commentary of an Olympic bobsleigh run in which one reporter questioned at length the presence of an Israeli athlete at the Games because of his alleged support for Israel’s actions in the Gaza war.
TL;DR
- Swiss broadcaster RTS removed a commentary segment from its website.
- The segment questioned the presence of Israeli bobsledder Adam Edelman at the Olympics.
- Reporter Stefan Renna cited Edelman's alleged support for Israel's actions in Gaza and social media posts.
- RTS stated the information, while factual, appeared inappropriate in a sports commentary context.
- The IOC directed questions about commentators' comments to broadcasters.
- Edelman, who is Jewish, called the commentary a 'diatribe'.
- IOC rules on active support of war primarily apply to Russian and Belarusian athletes competing as neutrals.
- The commentary also mentioned Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych's disqualification.
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