Swiss commentator slams ‘Zionist’ Israeli bobsleigh team at Winter Olympics

Stefan Reina’s commentary on the Israeli team’s run in Cortina focused on the athletes’ support of the genocide in Gaza.

A Swiss sports journalist has found himself at the centre of a storm for his no-holds-barred commentary during the Israeli team’s participation in the bobsleigh event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Sports commentator Stefan Reina, of Radio Television Suisse (RTS), called the Israeli team’s pilot Adam Jeremy Edelman “a Zionist to the core” as the team appeared on the screen during their run at the Milano Cortina Games on Monday.

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Immediately after Edelman’s competition began, Reina commented on the athlete’s social media posts supporting Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

“Adam Edelman is an Israeli athlete and a Zionist to the core, as he describes himself,” Reina said in a video verified by Al Jazeera.

“He has posted several messages on social media supporting the genocide in Gaza,” the commentator added as the Israeli team’s bobsleigh continued its run.

“It should be noted that the term ‘genocide’ is the one used by the UN Commission of Inquiry. Edelman stated that the military intervention was ‘the most just and moral war in history’, according to him.”

Reina was critical of the athlete’s presence in Cortina during these Games, saying it “raises questions” as it pertains to the International Olympic Committee’s decision that “any athlete who has participated in activities supporting war, either militarily or through their social media accounts, is ineligible to participate.”

This decision had been specifically applied to Russian athletes after their country launched a war on Ukraine. He questioned why similar standards weren’t applied to Israel.

“Edelman asked his followers to cheer on Ward Fawarsa – an Israeli athlete present here in Cortina – while he was involved in an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip in 2023,” the Swiss journalist added.

The Israeli bobsleigh team finished last out of the 26 teams.

While the video has been widely circulated on social media, RTS removed it from their YouTube channel overnight.

The Swiss media outlet has confirmed to Al Jazeera that the video originated from their coverage of the Games.

“Our journalist wanted to question the IOC’s policy regarding the statements made by the athlete in question,” RTS told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

“However, such information, while factual, is inappropriate for sports commentary due to its length. Therefore, we removed the segment from our website last night.”

Reina’s commentary has been commended by a wide range of sports fans and Palestinian supporters, who lauded his courage to use his platform to condemn the Israeli athletes.

But he was also at the receiving end of criticism and outrage, led by the United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who accused Reina of anti-Semitism and “spreading bigotry and hatred” in a post on X.

The StopAntisemitism organisation, a prominent arm of the Zionist lobby in the US, called for Reina’s dismissal, claiming he insulted the Israeli team.

Edelman responded to Reina’s commentary on his social media accounts, saying: “I am aware of the scathing attack launched by the commentator against the Israeli bobsleigh team during today’s Swiss Olympics broadcast.

He added: “The Scholl Runnings team consists of six proud Israelis who reached the Olympic podium. We have no coach, no intensive training programme, just a dream, determination, and unwavering pride in what we represent. We work together to achieve a great goal and successfully surpass it. Because that’s what Israelis do. I don’t think it’s possible to watch that and believe what the commentator is saying.”

The IOC did not issue a statement on the incident, but its spokesman, Mark Adams, responded to questions on it during his news conference on Tuesday.

“I would remind everyone involved, however tangentially, in the Olympic Games, of the values and the charter and the idea of us trying to bring people together despite what’s happening in the rest of the world,” he said.

“But in terms of specific comments by a commentator on one specific broadcast, I think that’s a matter to refer to the broadcaster. So that’s not a question for us at this stage.”