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Rai Pulls Petrecca From Olympic Closing Commentary as RaiSport Revolt Deepens

The decision signals a containment strategy pending post-Games reconciliation with the newsroom.

Overview

  • Rai CEO Giampaolo Rossi met RaiSport director Paolo Petrecca and requested an assumption of responsibility after the widely criticized opening-ceremony broadcast.
  • Petrecca will not commentate the MilanCortina closing ceremony, though he remains in his post as director for now.
  • RaiSport journalists have withdrawn their bylines on Olympic content through the end of the Games and authorized a three-day strike to begin after the event.
  • Usigrai says Rai blocked the reading of a union communiqué defending staff, intensifying the dispute over accountability for the broadcast debacle.
  • The clash highlights long-running internal rifts, including repeated no-confidence votes and rejected editorial plans for Petrecca, as Fratelli d’Italia defends him and portrays criticism as political.