Two members of the United States Congress, representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have written a letter to NBC network CEO Steven Burke, encouraging the network to issue an on-air correction during this evening’s closing ceremonies.
NBC commentators claimed during the Opening Ceremonies that Philip of Macedon was affiliated with the modern nation of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
That, and the network’s insistence on referring to the nation as “Macedonia,” despite being officially recognized at FYROM by the International Olympic Committee, infuriated American viewers who began numerous letter writing campaigns and protests.
The Maloney-Bilirakis letter protested to the NBC CEO that the actions of the commentators during the opening ceremonies “undermined the position of the IOC.”
The letter is below: