A Palestinian man working at the official store at the Cortina Sliding Centre — a venue hosting bobsled, luge, and skeleton events at the 2026 Winter Olympics — was dismissed after saying “Free Palestine” in the presence of Israeli fans. The Milano Cortina organizing committee confirmed the incident and said the worker had been removed from his shift.
The organizers issued a statement saying it is “not appropriate for Games staff or contractors to express personal political views while carrying out their duties,” and said those involved had been “reassured” — language that did little to obscure what had actually happened: a man was fired for saying two words in public about a genocide that has now killed more than 72,000 people.
Fadel al-Masri, a Palestinian resident of Rome, told Al Jazeera that his contract was terminated after approximately ten days of work, despite being hired for a six-week assignment. He denied any legal or residency issues and linked the dismissal directly to his Palestinian nationality and his speech.
The incident unfolded alongside a separate controversy at the same Games, when Swiss sports commentator Stefan Reina of Radio Television Suisse was criticized after noting, on air, that Israeli bobsled pilot Adam Edelman had publicly supported Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. RTS removed the segment, but not before it circulated widely and drew both condemnation and support.
What the two incidents share is a consistent pattern: the Olympics claims political neutrality while enforcing it selectively. A Palestinian worker loses his job for two words. An Israeli athlete’s support for an active genocide is treated as a private matter. The International Olympic Committee has not commented on either the dismissal or the underlying question of what political expression is and is not permissible under its rules.
A Palestinian Worker Said ‘Free Palestine’ at the Winter Olympics. Italy Fired Him.
A Palestinian man working at the official store at the Cortina Sliding Centre — a venue hosting bobsled, luge, and skeleton events at the 2026 Winter Olympics — was dismissed after saying “Free Palestine” in the presence of Israeli fans. The Milano Cortina organizing committee confirmed the incident and said the worker had been removed from his shift.
The organizers issued a statement saying it is “not appropriate for Games staff or contractors to express personal political views while carrying out their duties,” and said those involved had been “reassured” — language that did little to obscure what had actually happened: a man was fired for saying two words in public about a genocide that has now killed more than 72,000 people.
Fadel al-Masri, a Palestinian resident of Rome, told Al Jazeera that his contract was terminated after approximately ten days of work, despite being hired for a six-week assignment. He denied any legal or residency issues and linked the dismissal directly to his Palestinian nationality and his speech.
The incident unfolded alongside a separate controversy at the same Games, when Swiss sports commentator Stefan Reina of Radio Television Suisse was criticized after noting, on air, that Israeli bobsled pilot Adam Edelman had publicly supported Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. RTS removed the segment, but not before it circulated widely and drew both condemnation and support.
What the two incidents share is a consistent pattern: the Olympics claims political neutrality while enforcing it selectively. A Palestinian worker loses his job for two words. An Israeli athlete’s support for an active genocide is treated as a private matter. The International Olympic Committee has not commented on either the dismissal or the underlying question of what political expression is and is not permissible under its rules.