\n The commentator, Stefan Renna, said Edelman had supported the actions of the Israeli military in the Gaza war, and he suggested that this breached the International Olympic Committee’s rules on political statements by athletes at the Games [GETTY]<\/p>\n
Swiss public broadcaster Radio Television Suisse (RTS) has removed from its website a segment in which one of its commentators sharply criticised the participation of an Israeli athlete<\/a> at the Milano Cortina\u00a0Winter Olympics<\/a> over his public support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n The remarks were delivered by commentator Stefan Reina during Monday\u2019s two-man bobsleigh run featuring Israeli athletes Adam Edelman and Chen Menachem.<\/p>\n As the Israeli sledge appeared on screen, Reina described Edelman as “a Zionist<\/a>\u00a0to the core” and drew attention to the athlete\u2019s social media posts backing Israel’s brutal onslaught on Gaza<\/a>, which the UN Commission of Inquiry and a growing number of legal experts have characterised as genocidal.<\/p>\n Reina highlighted that Edelman had described Israel’s genocide in Gaza as “the most just and moral war in history” and questioned whether such statements were compatible with Olympic rules governing political speech and support for war.<\/p>\n \u201cOne can therefore question his presence in Cortina during these Games,\u201d Reina said, citing International Olympic Committee guidelines that bar athletes who actively support war, whether through military participation or public advocacy.<\/p>\n The IOC applied similar standards to Russian and Belarusian athletes following Moscow\u2019s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, allowing them to compete only as neutrals under strict conditions.<\/p>\n RTS later removed the segment, stating that although the information presented was factual, it may have appeared inappropriate \u201cdue to its length within the context of a sports commentary.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur journalist wished to question the IOC\u2019s policy regarding the statements made by the athlete concerned,\u201d the broadcaster said.<\/p>\n The IOC declined to comment directly on the controversy, saying that questions about individual broadcasts should be directed to the relevant media outlet.<\/p>\n Edelman, who has publicly identified as a committed Zionist and previously mocked pro-Palestinian slogans, responded on social media, describing Reina\u2019s remarks as a \u201cdiatribe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a team of six proud Israelis who\u2019ve made it to the Olympic stage,\u201d he wrote. \u201cNo coach with us. No big program. Just a dream, grit, and an unyielding pride in who we represent.\u201d<\/p>\n