Sports journalists from Italy's public broadcasting service, Rai, have initiated a strike in response to alarming gaffes made by their sports director, Paolo Petrecca, during the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games. Petrecca's blunders included mistaking Italian singer Matilda De Angelis for American singer Mariah Carey and confusing the president of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry, with the daughter of Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

Furthermore, Petrecca inaccurately referred to Milan's San Siro stadium as the 'Olympic stadium' and made controversial remarks during the athletes' parade. His comments, which were laced with clichés and stereotypes, included remarks on Spanish athletes being 'always very hot' and Brazilian athletes having 'music in their blood.' He also mentioned that 'naturally many of the Chinese have cell phones in hand,' which sparked outrage among viewers and critics alike.

In light of these issues, the Rai Sport journalist union issued a statement on Monday declaring that they would not condone the embarrassing conduct of their leadership during such a pivotal event. Their call for a strike signifies deeper concerns about professionalism and cultural sensitivity within sports journalism, particularly in a globally significant context like the Olympics.