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Liora Rez, the founder of StopAntisemitism, is calling for the firing of a Swiss broadcaster who questioned an Israeli athlete’s participation in the Winter Olympics.
Radio Telesvision Suisse commentator Stefan Renna has called Israel’s skeleton competitor AJ Edelman a “self-proclaimed Zionist” who has posted several messages on social media in support of the “genocide” in Gaza. Renna mentioned the United Nations in clarifying his use of the word “genocide.”
“It’s almost like Al Jazeera, a state puppet media outlet against a European television network, and it was totally inappropriate,” Rez said in a recent interview with PK Press Club Digital. “We strongly believe that Stefan should be fired and his broadcast network should apologize.”
Israel’s Adam Edelman, left, slides down the track during a two-man bobsleigh practice session at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
The network said it “removed the segment from our website” after the remarks, “although factual…may have seemed inappropriate due to its length in the context of sports commentary.”
Rez also called on the International Olympic Committee to “step up and make clear that political comments, specifically chastising the world’s only Jewish nation, are simply completely false and will not be tolerated.”
“Unless consequences are enacted, more and more things like this are going to happen…simply because these platforms and these events are so large and have such massive audiences,” Rez said.
“Look, we’re talking about the Olympics at a bobsleigh competition. These guys are flying down this ice track in northern Italy at over 100 miles an hour. This was not the time to comment on the war between Israel and Gaza,” she added. “There are plenty of opportunities to talk about it. That clearly wasn’t it…Rather than commenting on the bobsleigh competition, its form or its speed, he took the opportunity to not only vilify Israel, but also to maliciously single out and attack the team captain. It’s just completely inappropriate and he needs to be held accountable.”
The IOC made headlines by selling controversial T-shirts featuring Nazi propaganda, which sold out.
Separation of the t-shirt from the 1936 Olympics poster and the Olympic rings (Olympic Store; Kevin Voigt/GettyImages)
“If they really wanted to showcase extraordinary athletic talent, they could have honored someone like Jesse Owens, whose accomplishments at the 1936 Berlin Olympics directly challenged Nazi ideology. Instead, they chose to honor Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. That choice speaks volumes,” Rez said of the jersey.
Rez said she has seen anti-Semitism “skyrocket” since Oct. 7, 2023, and that it has reached the world of sports.
“The band-aid on anti-Semitism has been completely ripped off. It’s largely normalized in some areas and before becoming normalized in sports,” Rez said. “That’s why the IOC and other sporting bodies need to take a stand, put their foot down and say that this will not be tolerated. They need to ensure that things like this don’t happen in the future. This was once again totally wrong, totally inappropriate.”
Rez hd a message for Jewish athletes who will still have to face anti-Semitic remarks.
Israelis Adam Edelman, left, and Menachem Chen celebrate the end of a two-man bobsleigh race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
“There are millions of people supporting you, behind you. Hold your head high, be proud and do your best. We are behind you.”
