Gaffe-ridden Olympic commentary prompts Italy's Rai sport chief Petrecca to resign
BBC World
February 19, 2026
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Paolo Petrecca, the head of Rai Sport at Italy’s state broadcaster Rai TV, has resigned following a series of high-profile gaffes during his commentary of the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. His on-air mistakes, which included misidentifying locations and individuals, went viral and sparked widespread embarrassment in Italy. The incident led to a brief strike by news journalists, further damaging Rai’s reputation. Petrecca’s tenure will end at the conclusion of the Games, and he will not commentate on the closing ceremony.
Petrecca was chosen as a last-minute replacement for Auro Bulbarelli, who had been dropped due to accidentally revealing a key element of the ceremony. His performance was widely criticized, with one
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Originally published on BBC World on 2/19/2026