Italian state broadcaster RAI announced Monday that it had suspended two sports commentators after they made sexist and racist remarks during a broadcast of the World Aquatics Championships in Japan.
Lorenzo Leonarduzzi and Massimiliano Mazzucchi were commentating on the female synchronized diving competition for the streaming channel RaiPlay 2 when they decided to focus on the physical appearance of divers and make reference to sexual acts.
According to Reuters, the two commentators discussed how “big” some of the divers were, while one of them added that “Whatever, they’re all equally tall in bed.” They also made vulgar jokes about women’s willingness to have sex.
“This diver here, her name is Harper. She’s a harp player. How do you play the harp? You got to touch it? You pinch it,” said one of the commentators at one point.
“Si-la-do,” responded the other, referencing musical notes and a slang term used to describe a woman who wants to have sex.
“That’s the advantage women have over men. Women only have to know three notes,” said the other broadcaster.
The duo also made racist comments during the women’s and men’s diving competitions and mimicked the way that Chinese people speak Italian.
After the network was inundated with complaints from viewers as well as politicians, RAI’s chief executive Roberto Sergio announced that he had launched a disciplinary procedure and had ordered the commentators to be sent home from the event.
World Aquatics, the federation overseeing the event, said they back the decision to send the announcers home.
“World Aquatics fully supports Italian broadcaster RAI’s decision to suspend two journalists for their commentary during the World Aquatics Championships – Fukuoka 2023,” read a statement. “World Aquatics has zero tolerance for sexism or discrimination in our sports. Comments like these have no place in our society. World Aquatics stands behind its athletes and is currently reaching out to the targeted individuals.”
Italy and its broadcasters are no strangers to claims of sexism and racism. Sky Italia suspended two F1 commentators last month over sexist comments they made during a broadcast. Meanwhile, racist chants have been commonplace at Serie A matches.
Almost half of Italy’s adult women have experienced sexual harassment, according to the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT).
