Swiss TV host calls out Israeli Olympic bobsleigh team over Gaza genocide support

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 at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics over his public support for Israel's genocide in Gaza.

The remarks were delivered by commentator Stefan Reina during Monday’s two-man bobsleigh run featuring Israeli athletes Adam Edelman and Chen Menachem.

As the Israeli sledge appeared on screen, Reina described Edelman as "a Zionist to the core" and drew attention to the athlete’s social media posts backing Israel's brutal onslaught on Gaza, which the UN Commission of Inquiry and a growing number of legal experts have characterised as genocidal.

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.

“One can therefore question his presence in Cortina during these Games,” Reina said, citing International Olympic Committee guidelines that bar athletes who actively support war, whether through military participation or public advocacy.

The IOC applied similar standards to Russian and Belarusian athletes following Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, allowing them to compete only as neutrals under strict conditions.

RTS later removed the segment, stating that although the information presented was factual, it may have appeared inappropriate “due to its length within the context of a sports commentary.”

“Our journalist wished to question the IOC’s policy regarding the statements made by the athlete concerned,” the broadcaster said.

The IOC declined to comment directly on the controversy, saying that questions about individual broadcasts should be directed to the relevant media outlet.

Edelman, who has publicly identified as a committed Zionist and previously mocked pro-Palestinian slogans, responded on social media, describing Reina’s remarks as a “diatribe.”

“We are a team of six proud Israelis who’ve made it to the Olympic stage,” he wrote. “No coach with us. No big program. Just a dream, grit, and an unyielding pride in who we represent.”

Reina also referenced the recent disqualification of Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was penalised for wearing a helmet depicting Ukrainian athletes killed since Russia's ​​​​​invasion, questioning whether standards were being applied consistently.

The Israeli team finished last after the first two runs and was scheduled to complete their final heats on Tuesday.

The episode has sparked debate over whether the Olympic movement’s stated neutrality can be maintained when athletes openly endorse military campaigns widely condemned for their humanitarian toll.