Swiss broadcast authority upholds complaints over Olympic commentary

Switzerland’s Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television, known as AIEP, announced on Friday, 30 October 2026, that RTS’s Olympic commentary about Israeli bobsleigh pilot Adam Edelman breached the prohibition against discrimination. Its nine-member panel upheld the complaints by the narrow majority described above.

The case concerns RTS’s live coverage on 16 February 2026, of the second heat of the men’s two-man bobsleigh competition at Milano Cortina. The commentator discussed Edelman’s social-media statements throughout Israel’s descent, then announced the sporting result at the end. Complainants objected that the Israeli team alone had received no sporting commentary or information about the athlete’s sporting background.

The majority found that suggesting Edelman should be excluded because of his political views conveyed a stigmatizing, discriminatory message and subjected him to unequal treatment. AIEP examines whether Swiss broadcasters’ editorial content breaches applicable content rules.

What the commentator said

Edelman previously represented Israel at the 2018 Winter Olympics in skeleton, a sport in which athletes ride a small sled headfirst down an ice track, before competing as a bobsleigh pilot.

During the broadcast, the commentator described Edelman as a self-described “Zionist to the core,” characterized his posts as supporting “the genocide in Gaza,” and attributed to him the description of Israel’s military intervention as “the most just and moral war in history.” Al Jazeera verified the video. Edelman called the commentary a “diatribe” and said he gave it no credence. Israel’s embassy in Switzerland demanded decisive action and a clear apology.

The commentator also questioned Edelman’s eligibility by invoking an International Olympic Committee restriction on athletes supporting war through military involvement or social media. A Keystone-ATS report carried by Watson described that restriction as applying to Russian athletes who actively supported the war, including through pro-war events, military involvement or social media; other Russian athletes could compete under a neutral banner.

RTS removed the sequence from its website after the controversy, calling it inappropriate.

RTS said the information was factual but inappropriate for sports commentary because it was too detailed.

RTS awaits written reasons before deciding on an appeal

AIEP said its written decision still had to be drafted and would be published later. Its wording may differ from the announcement, and only the written reasoning is authoritative for case law. The announcement specifies no case-specific remedy or sanction.

Generally, after finding a breach, AIEP directs the broadcaster to take measures to prevent further violations and report on those steps, Al Jazeera said. RTS said it took note of the finding and would await the written reasoning before deciding whether to appeal. AIEP decisions can be challenged directly before Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court.