\n<\/p>\n
Listen to this article<\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span>4 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<\/button>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>A Swiss sports journalist has found himself at the centre of a storm for his no-holds-barred commentary during the Israeli team\u2019s participation in the bobsleigh event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.<\/p>\n<p>Sports commentator Stefan Reina, of Radio Television Suisse (RTS), called the Israeli team\u2019s pilot Adam Jeremy Edelman \u201ca Zionist to the core\u201d as the team appeared on the screen during their run at the Milano Cortina Games on Monday.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Immediately after Edelman\u2019s competition began, Reina commented on the athlete\u2019s social media posts supporting Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdam Edelman is an Israeli athlete and a Zionist to the core, as he describes himself,\u201d Reina said in a video verified by Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has posted several messages on social media supporting the genocide in Gaza,\u201d the commentator added as the Israeli team\u2019s bobsleigh continued its run.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt should be noted that the term \u2018genocide\u2019 is the one used by the UN Commission of Inquiry. Edelman stated that the military intervention was \u2018the most just and moral war in history\u2019, according to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reina was critical of the athlete\u2019s presence in Cortina during these Games, saying it \u201craises questions\u201d as it pertains to the International Olympic Committee\u2019s decision that \u201cany athlete who has participated in activities supporting war, either militarily or through their social media accounts, is ineligible to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This decision had been specifically applied to Russian athletes after their country launched a war on Ukraine. He questioned why similar standards weren\u2019t applied to Israel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEdelman asked his followers to cheer on Ward Fawarsa \u2013 an Israeli athlete present here in Cortina \u2013 while he was involved in an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip in 2023,\u201d the Swiss journalist added.<\/p>\n<p>The Israeli bobsleigh team finished last out of the 26 teams.<\/p>\n<p>While the video has been widely circulated on social media, RTS removed it from their YouTube channel overnight.<\/p>\n<p>The Swiss media outlet has confirmed to Al Jazeera that the video originated from their coverage of the Games.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur journalist wanted to question the IOC\u2019s policy regarding the statements made by the athlete in question,\u201d RTS told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHowever, such information, while factual, is inappropriate for sports commentary due to its length. Therefore, we removed the segment from our website last night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reina\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>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 \u201cspreading bigotry and hatred\u201d in a post on X.<\/p>\n<p>The StopAntisemitism organisation, a prominent arm of the Zionist lobby in the US, called for Reina\u2019s dismissal, claiming he insulted the Israeli team.<\/p>\n<p>Edelman responded to Reina\u2019s commentary on his social media accounts, saying: \u201cI am aware of the scathing attack launched by the commentator against the Israeli bobsleigh team during today\u2019s Swiss Olympics broadcast.<\/p>\n<p>He added: \u201cThe 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\u2019s what Israelis do. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s possible to watch that and believe what the commentator is saying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI 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\u2019s happening in the rest of the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut in terms of specific comments by a commentator on one specific broadcast, I think that\u2019s a matter to refer to the broadcaster. So that\u2019s not a question for us at this stage.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a04 mins info A Swiss sports journalist has found himself at the centre of a storm for his no-holds-barred commentary during the Israeli team\u2019s 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\u2019s pilot Adam Jeremy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12486\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/button>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>A Swiss sports journalist has found himself at the centre of a storm for his no-holds-barred commentary during the Israeli team\u2019s participation in the bobsleigh event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.<\/p>\n<p>Sports commentator Stefan Reina, of Radio Television Suisse (RTS), called the Israeli team\u2019s pilot Adam Jeremy Edelman \u201ca Zionist to the core\u201d as the team appeared on the screen during their run at the Milano Cortina Games on Monday.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Immediately after Edelman\u2019s competition began, Reina commented on the athlete\u2019s social media posts supporting Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdam Edelman is an Israeli athlete and a Zionist to the core, as he describes himself,\u201d Reina said in a video verified by Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has posted several messages on social media supporting the genocide in Gaza,\u201d the commentator added as the Israeli team\u2019s bobsleigh continued its run.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt should be noted that the term \u2018genocide\u2019 is the one used by the UN Commission of Inquiry. Edelman stated that the military intervention was \u2018the most just and moral war in history\u2019, according to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reina was critical of the athlete\u2019s presence in Cortina during these Games, saying it \u201craises questions\u201d as it pertains to the International Olympic Committee\u2019s decision that \u201cany athlete who has participated in activities supporting war, either militarily or through their social media accounts, is ineligible to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This decision had been specifically applied to Russian athletes after their country launched a war on Ukraine. He questioned why similar standards weren\u2019t applied to Israel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEdelman asked his followers to cheer on Ward Fawarsa \u2013 an Israeli athlete present here in Cortina \u2013 while he was involved in an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip in 2023,\u201d the Swiss journalist added.<\/p>\n<p>The Israeli bobsleigh team finished last out of the 26 teams.<\/p>\n<p>While the video has been widely circulated on social media, RTS removed it from their YouTube channel overnight.<\/p>\n<p>The Swiss media outlet has confirmed to Al Jazeera that the video originated from their coverage of the Games.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur journalist wanted to question the IOC\u2019s policy regarding the statements made by the athlete in question,\u201d RTS told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHowever, such information, while factual, is inappropriate for sports commentary due to its length. Therefore, we removed the segment from our website last night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reina\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>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 \u201cspreading bigotry and hatred\u201d in a post on X.<\/p>\n<p>The StopAntisemitism organisation, a prominent arm of the Zionist lobby in the US, called for Reina\u2019s dismissal, claiming he insulted the Israeli team.<\/p>\n<p>Edelman responded to Reina\u2019s commentary on his social media accounts, saying: \u201cI am aware of the scathing attack launched by the commentator against the Israeli bobsleigh team during today\u2019s Swiss Olympics broadcast.<\/p>\n<p>He added: \u201cThe 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\u2019s what Israelis do. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s possible to watch that and believe what the commentator is saying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI 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\u2019s happening in the rest of the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut in terms of specific comments by a commentator on one specific broadcast, I think that\u2019s a matter to refer to the broadcaster. So that\u2019s not a question for us at this stage.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a04 mins info A Swiss sports journalist has found himself at the centre of a storm for his no-holds-barred commentary during the Israeli team\u2019s 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\u2019s pilot Adam Jeremy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12486\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}