Rai Sport Director Resigns Following Controversial Commentary at Milano Cortina Olympics

Paolo Petrecca, the director of Rai Sport, has announced that he will step down from his position following the conclusion of the Milano Cortina Olympics. This news was made public through a statement released by Rai, which also indicated that the interim role will be assumed by deputy director Marco Lollobrigida. Petrecca's resignation comes in the wake of significant backlash he faced for his commentary during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. He had been called upon at the last moment to provide commentary after deputy director Auro Bulbarelli was dismissed for inadvertently revealing sensitive information about President Sergio Mattarella during a press conference. Despite other journalists being proposed as replacements, Petrecca insisted on taking the commentary reins himself, a decision that raised eyebrows among some executives who recommended that he refrain from doing so. His performance during the ceremony was marked by a constant stream of commentary, leaving little space for visual elements and often interrupting his co-commentators, former athletes Fabio Genovesi and Stefania Belmondo. Petrecca's commentary errors included mistakenly identifying actress Matilda De Angelis as singer Mariah Carey and confusing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry with Paul Mattarella's daughter. Furthermore, he failed to recognize some of the world champions of the national volleyball team, noting only Paola Egonu. In light of these controversies, Rai has since assigned the commentary for the upcoming closing ceremony to Bulbarelli, signaling a shift in their approach as they aim to salvage the viewer experience for the Olympics. Related Sources: • Source 1 • Source 2