Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Daniella Matar

Winter Olympics opening ceremony errors prompt mass journalist strike

  • 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.

IN FULL

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.