Swiss Panel Finds Olympic Commentary on Israeli Bobsledder Discriminatory

Switzerland's Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television announced Friday that it had upheld four complaints about RTS commentary on Israeli bobsledder Adam Edelman at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The nine-member authority reached its decision by 5 votes to 4 during public deliberations on October 29, finding that the broadcast violated the prohibition on discrimination. The complaints concerned the Israeli team's second run in the men's two-man bobsleigh competition on February 16. According to the authority, the commentator discussed Edelman's political statements on social media and questioned his participation in the Games while the team was descending. The team's result, 26th and last in that heat, was announced only at the end. Complainants objected that Israel alone received no sporting commentary and that Edelman's sporting background was omitted. The majority found that the apparently prepared commentary suggested Edelman should be excluded from the Olympics because of his political views. The authority said this conveyed a "stigmatizing and therefore discriminatory message" compared with the other 25 competitors. It concluded that the unequal treatment breached the prohibition on discrimination. The authority, an independent federal commission that reviews Swiss broadcast content, said the written reasons still had to be drafted and would be published on its website in due course. It cautioned that the announcement's wording could differ from those reasons, which alone govern its case law. Its decisions can be challenged before Switzerland's Federal Supreme Court.