AHI Sends Letter to Head of NBCUniversal, On-air Retraction Requested
WASHINGTON, DC — The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) sent a letter to NBCUniversal CEO Stephen Burke requesting the network to issue an on-air retraction because of the historical inaccuracies reported by its commentators during the Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad held August 5, 2016. The…August 10 letter also raised the geopolitical implications of NBC’s reference of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) as “Macedonia” during its coverage.
Download AHI’s Letter to NBCUniversal
In an August 9 statement, AHI President Nick Larigakis said, “We are incensed NBC would convey such historical misinformation to its worldwide audience. We are also disappointed that NBC would ignore the International Olympic Committee and reference FYROM as ‘Macedonia’ thus wading the network and the Olympic Games, which are meant to be apolitical, into geopolitics. The essence of the Olympic Spirit is for nations to come together devoid of political tension. In one fell swoop, NBC, a neutral third party, stoked tension by ignoring the IOC’s proper recognition of FYROM thereby evoking a sensitive issue with, of all nations, Greece, which founded the Olympic Games.”
Larigakis continues to urge the community to contact NBC until the matter is addressed by the network.
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The American Hellenic Institute is a non-profit Greek American public policy center and think tank that works to strengthen relations between the United States and Greece and Cyprus, and within the Greek American community.