Rai sports boss resigns after Winter Olympic commentary errors

Petrecca’s gaffe-ridden commentary of the event, which was broadcast in Italy to an audience of 9.2 million viewers, went viral and prompted a brief strike by RAI news journalists.

His tenure will end with the Games, and he will not be commentating on the closing ceremony.

Petrecca reportedly opened the broadcast by welcoming viewers to "Stadio Olimpico" – Rome's main stadium – rather than Milan's San Siro, where the ceremony was taking place.

Petrecca then confused Italian actress Matilda De Angelis with Mariah Carey and mistook the president of the International Olympic Committee for the Italian president's daughter.

Petrecca also failed to recognise two well-known members of the Italian women’s volleyball team taking part in the torch relay and commented on Spanish athletes who are “always very hot” and Chinese ones who “naturally … have phones in their hands”.

His performance was condemned by Rai's journalists' union Usigrai as a "serious blow" to the public broadcaster's image.

Petrecca had taken on the role at the last minute, replacing another commentator who accidentally revealed details of a surprise appearance by Italian President Sergio Mattarella in a pre-ceremony press conference.

The commentator who had been dropped for the opening ceremony, Auro Bulbarelli, has since been given back the job for the closing ceremony.

The botched commentary attracted widespread international media coverage, turning what should have been a showcase for Italian broadcasting into a public relations disaster for the state network.

Petrecca will remain nominally in charge until the Olympics end but has handed day-to-day control to his deputy, Marco Lollobrigida.

Italian public service broadcaster Rai and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) are conducting new 5G broadcast trials during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, which run from 6-22 February 2026. Discover more here.