Italian journalists declare strike over Olympic gaffes

ROME, FEB 10: Sports journalists at Italian public broadcaster RAI are going on strike over a gaffe-filled commentary of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony by the head of their department.

RAI Sport head Paolo Petrecca mistook Italian Matilda De Angelis for Mariah Carey and Kirsty Coventry, head of the International Olympic Committee, for the Italian president's daughter.

During Friday's ceremony, Petrecca also incorrectly called Milan's San Siro stadium the "Olympic stadium".

During the parade, he referred to Spanish athletes as being "always very hot" and said of the Chinese athletes that "naturally many of them have phones in their hands".

The Rai Sport journalists' union said in a statement on Monday that they would no longer byline their Olympic production and would hold a three-day strike after the Olympics.

"It's time to make our voices heard because we are facing the worst humiliation of Rai Sport," it said.

"The company should finally acknowledge the damage that the director of Rai Sport has done," the statement added.    �"AFP