Overview
- The Milan–Cortina 2026 opening animation on RAI depicts Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man without male genitalia.
- The Partito Democratico formally asked Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli whether RAI had authorization to use the image and to alter it.
- The Five Star Movement condemned the change, accusing the broadcaster of practicing the “most backward living‑room censorship.”
- RAI rejects any censorship, calling the uproar “fake news,” and says the clip and graphics were supplied by the IOC’s Olympic Broadcasting Services and cannot be modified by rights holders.
- Reports point to IOC rules banning “explicit sexual content” as a possible rationale, a claim not publicly confirmed; Der Spiegel notes broadcasters are not obliged to use the OBS clip.