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NBC Olympics announcer Mike Tirico apologizes for Martinique-Palestine flag blunder during medal ceremony
NBC Sports host Mike Tirico is a pro's pro, but that doesn't mean he's perfect.
The former ESPN star and current Sunday Night Football announcer mistook Martinique's flag for that of Palestine after the men's basketball final at the Paris Olympics on Saturday. He quickly corrected himself and avoided a potentially awkward situation amid the ongoing military action in Gaza.
The incident occurred after France fell to LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Team USA. Tirico innocently identified France's Mathias Lessort, a Martinique-born center who was draped in the flag of the French territory.
'You saw with Lessort, one of the backup centers, the Palestine flag draped over his shoulders,' Tirico mistakenly said on NBC. 'We are certainly conscious of any displays regarding the Middle East conflict from athletes involved in these games.'
The error is understandable. Both the flag of Palestine and Martinique have a red triangle flanked by black and green stripes, only the former also includes a white horizontal stripe across its center.
NBC Sports announcer and former ESPN star Mike Tirico mistook Martinique's flag for that of Palestine after the men's basketball final at the Paris Olympics on Saturday
Tirico identified France's Mathias Lessort, a Martinique-born center who was draped in the flag of the French territory: '... the Palestine flag draped over his shoulders'
Both the flag of Palestine and Martinique have a red triangle flanked by black and green stripes
But the 57-year-old Tirico wasn't going to let that stand, so he quickly went online, where he corrected himself on social media.
'Just acknowledging, as soon as possible, my error for misidentifying the Martinique flag as the flag of Palestine during the medal ceremony for Men's Basketball today,' Tirico wrote on X. 'They are similar but obviously distinctly different which is quite important for all involved.
'I apologize for the error and will correct on-air during our primetime show tonight.'
Rather than being slammed over the mistake, fans were relieved to see professional accountability.
'You're a pro Mike -- all good,' responded one X user.
'Mistakes happen,' added another. 'Moving on.
'You have done an exceptionally good job with he Olympics [by the way].'
Another added: 'Own your mistake, correct it, and move on. Pro move.'
More than 40,000 Palestinians have been reported killed in the Gaza Strip since October 7, when Hamas-led militant groups attacked Israel.