Swiss commentator slams ‘Zionist’ Israeli bobsleigh team at Winter Olympics
A Swiss sports journalist has found himself at the centre of a storm for his no-holds-barred commentary during the Israeli team’s 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’s pilot Adam Jeremy Edelman “a Zionist to the core” as the team appeared on the screen during their run at the Milano Cortina Games on Monday.
Immediately after Edelman’s competition began, Reina commented on the athlete’s social media posts supporting Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
“Adam Edelman is an Israeli athlete and a Zionist to the core, as he describes himself,” Reina said in a video verified by Al Jazeera. “He has posted several messages on social media supporting the genocide in Gaza,” the commentator added as the Israeli team’s bobsleigh continued its run.
“It should be noted that the term ‘genocide’ is the one used by the UN Commission of Inquiry. Edelman stated that the military intervention was ‘the most just and moral war in history’, according to him.”
“Edelman asked his followers to cheer on Ward Fawarsa – an Israeli athlete present here in Cortina – while he was involved in an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip in 2023,” the Swiss journalist added.
Reina was critical of the athlete’s presence in Cortina during these Games, saying it “raises questions” as it pertains to the International Olympic Committee’s decision that “any athlete who has participated in activities supporting war, either militarily or through their social media accounts, is ineligible to participate.”
This decision had been specifically applied to Russian athletes after their country launched a war on Ukraine. He questioned why similar standards weren’t applied to Israel.
The Israeli bobsleigh team finished last out of the 26 teams.
While the video has been widely circulated on social media, RTS removed it from their YouTube channel overnight. The Swiss media outlet has confirmed to Al Jazeera that the video originated from their coverage of the Games.
“Our journalist wanted to question the IOC’s policy regarding the statements made by the athlete in question,” RTS told Al Jazeera on Tuesday. “However, such information, while factual, is inappropriate for sports commentary due to its length. Therefore, we removed the segment from our website last night.”
Reina’s 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.
Commentator Stefan Renna on Swiss public broadcaster RTS sparked controversy during Israeli captain AJ Edelman’s second bobsleigh run at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, bringing up Edelman’s past social media posts supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza, including one… pic.twitter.com/TenlLtbRiw
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) February 17, 2026
Israel’s War on Gaza Wipes Out Sporting Generation as 1,007 Athletes Killed, Fields Turn to Rubble
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/israels-war-on-gaza-wipes-out-sporting-generation-as-1007-athletes-killed-fields-turn-to-rubble/
Pre-genocide photo of the Palestine Amputee Football Association squad.
At least 1,007 Palestinian athletes have been killed and 265 sports facilities destroyed during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023, according to the Palestinian Olympic Committee — a toll that reflects not only human loss but the dismantling of an entire social and cultural sphere in the besieged enclave.
Speaking at a press conference in Gaza City, committee vice-president Asaad Al-Majdalawi said 45 women were among the victims, while damage extended across stadiums, training halls, gyms, and youth centers throughout the Strip. Of the facilities hit, 184 were destroyed and 81 partially damaged.
“This destruction has deprived thousands of young people and adolescents of their right to train and practice sports,” Majdalawi said.
But the figures tell only part of the story. Gaza’s sports sector has long functioned as a social lifeline — offering structure, psychological recovery and community identity in a territory repeatedly subjected to blockade and bombardment.
Coaches, trainers, referees and youth program coordinators also lost their livelihoods, while entire league systems collapsed.
Majdalawi stressed that the impact is “psychological and social,” describing trauma among athletes, interruption of professional pathways and the disappearance of income sources for families connected to sports institutions.
The destruction unfolded within a broader war that, according to Gaza health authorities, has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and injured over 171,000 since October 2023, with hundreds more killed even after the October 10 ceasefire through continued attacks.
