Poland’s media regulator launches inquiry after TVP commentators failed to mention presidential representative during Olympics opening ceremony.
KRRiT Investigation Launched
The National Council of Radio and Television Broadcasting (KRRiT) has initiated an investigation against Polish Television (TVP) regarding the transmission of the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. The council received complaints from viewers about the coverage.
“Serious Violation of Standards”
KRRiT Chairwoman Dr. Agnieszka Glapiak called the omission of information about the Polish president’s participation at the internationally significant event a “serious violation” of reliability, impartiality, and completeness standards. The council expressed particular concern that this was not an isolated incident.
Viewer Complaints
Viewers complained that the coverage violated their right to full information and equal treatment of constitutional state organs. The complaints also questioned the intentional nature of the omission and its inconsistency with the public broadcaster’s mission. The investigation will determine if TVP violated the Radio and Television Act.
Political Figures at the Ceremony
The opening ceremony of the XXV Winter Olympics took place on February 6 at Milan’s San Siro stadium. Among the attending leaders were US Vice President J.D. Vance and Polish Karol Nawrocki, along with Minister of Sport and Tourism Jakub Rutnicki. The ceremony was broadcast by TVP with commentary by Marek Rudziński and Piotr Sobczyński.
TVP Director’s Explanation
TVP Director Jakub Kwiatkowski explained that there was no official ban on mentioning politicians. He noted that while the commentators didn’t mention Nawrocki during the opening ceremony, his presence was acknowledged in other transmissions, such as the figure skating coverage.