Polish television has suspended commentator Przemysław Babiarz for his comments made during the broadcast of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris.
During the broadcast, Babiarz stated, "Imagine, that is [a call] for a world without heaven, nations, religions, and that is a vision of this peace that everyone is supposed to embrace, that is a vision of communism, unfortunately."
The channel's statement said:
Mutual understanding, tolerance, reconciliation: these are not only the basic Olympic ideas, they are also the foundation of the standards that the new TVP follows. We would like to inform you that after yesterday’s scandalous words by Przemysław Babiarz, he has been suspended from his duties and will not comment on the competitions during the Olympic Games.
The main part of the opening ceremony took place on the banks and waters of the Seine. The Olympic flag was raised on a flagpole next to the Eiffel Tower, and the Olympic flame was ignited on a balloon that then ascended into the sky.