The glamorous opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, a moment of anticipated national pride for Italians watching the state broadcaster Rai, has instead become the backdrop for an unexpected and embarrassing departure. Paolo Petrecca, the head of Rai Sport, has submitted his resignation following a series of prominent on-air errors during the event’s broadcast.
His tenure, which was to conclude at the end of the Games, will now be cut short. Petrecca’s performance, watched by an audience of 9.2 million viewers, not only went viral for its blunders but also triggered a brief strike among Rai’s news journalists. He is notably not scheduled to commentate on the closing ceremony.
Petrecca’s role as commentator was a last-minute appointment. The original commentator had been removed from the position after inadvertently revealing a “sensational surprise” that was intended as a part of the ceremony’s program. This incident foreshadowed the issues that would arise during the main broadcast.
Professionally aligned with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, Petrecca had previously presented Meloni’s book, “I Am Giorgia,” to the public a year before she assumed office, during his time leading Rai’s news channel. This connection has been noted in discussions surrounding his appointment.
The commentary’s rough start became evident almost immediately. Petrecca welcomed viewers to the Stadio Olimpico, a significant error as the curtain-raising ceremony was actually held in Milan’s renowned San Siro stadium. This misstep set a tone for subsequent inaccuracies.
What followed was described by observers as one of Rai’s most challenging live broadcasts. The network’s primary channel, Rai 1, was experiencing a substantial audience share of over 46% when these difficulties unfolded.
In one instance, Petrecca introduced singer Mariah Carey, only to quickly correct himself and identify the performer as Italian actress Matilda De Angelis. This particular gaffe gained significant traction online. Italians shared images of De Angelis, accompanied by captions like “here’s the amazing Mariah Carey!” Even De Angelis herself humorously responded on social media, suggesting she might share the rights to Carey’s song “All I Want for Christmas.”
Further errors occurred when the camera focused on President Sergio Mattarella. Petrecca mistakenly identified the woman applauding beside the president as his daughter, Laura. In reality, the individual was Kirsty Coventry, the president of the International Olympic Committee.
The transmission of the Olympic torch also proved challenging for the commentator. Upon its handover to Italy’s highly successful volleyball teams, Petrecca failed to recognize Simone Giannelli, the captain of the men’s volleyball team. He identified a member of the women’s team instead.
The commentary also strayed into the use of national stereotypes. Petrecca remarked on Brazilians possessing an innate musicality, referenced African “voodoo rites,” and described Spaniards as “always very hot,” using the Spanish term “calienti.”
These cumulative errors drew sharp criticism. Rai’s journalists’ union, Usigrai, denounced Petrecca’s performance as a “serious blow” to the reputation of the public broadcaster. Auro Bulbarelli, the commentator initially dropped for the opening, has since been reinstated for the closing ceremony.
Petrecca’s resignation was not entirely unexpected. He is set to be succeeded by Marco Lollobrigida, a colleague widely regarded as one of Rai’s leading sports presenters.
This incident has amplified concerns among critics regarding the government’s alleged methods of influencing the broadcaster, potentially at the expense of broadcast quality. Some have begun referring to Rai TV derisively as “TeleMeloni.”