Sports journalists at the Italian state broadcaster are staging protests in response to blunders made by the sports director throughout his commentary on the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

Paolo Petrecca, who was appointed to the role at Rai Sport in 2025, first welcomed viewers to Rome’s Stadio Olimpico instead of Milan’s San Siro, where Friday’s ceremony was held, before mistaking the Italian actor Matilda De Angelis for Mariah Carey and Kirsty Coventry, president of the International Olympic Committee, for Laura Mattarella, daughter of the Italian president.

The gaffes were quickly mocked by viewers on social media and seized upon by members of the Italian opposition due to Petrecca’s reportedly close allegiance to Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government. De Angelis joked: “Mariah Carey and I are apparently the same person.”

CDR, the internal union representing Rai journalists, said on Monday the broadcaster’s sports journalists would stage protests, including withholding their bylines from their coverage of the Games and striking for three days when the event is over, in response to the sports director’s “disastrous coverage” of the opening ceremony.

“For three days we’ve all been embarrassed,” the CDR said in a statement. “And through no fault of our own. It’s time to make our voices heard because we’re facing the worst performance ever from Rai Sport during one of the most anticipated events of all time, the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.”

The CDR said the flawed commentary was damaging to Rai, its licence fee payers and to journalists who work for the public service. The statement added: “This is not a political issue, as some would have us believe, but a question of respect and dignity for public service.”

The journalists’ union, Usigrai, called the commentary “inadequate”.

Opposition politicians claimed the incident was the latest example of alleged rightwing bias at Rai. Sandro Ruotolo from the Democratic party said it represented a further sign of “political occupation and amateurism” at what he called “TeleMeloni”.

In an unprecedented action in 2024, news anchors on Rai’s three main TV channels read a statement from Usigrai condemning Meloni’s administration for “turning Rai into a government megaphone”.

Before coming to power in October 2022, Meloni often accused Rai of leftwing bias.

Rai Sports has been approached for comment.