"My God, That Final Was So Boring"...NBC Snowboard Commentator's Hot Mic Blunder Airs Live

Unaware His Mic Was On
"Final Fell Short Compared to the Qualifiers"

An NBC commentator in the United States sparked controversy after saying the event was "boring" during live coverage of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, apparently unaware that his microphone was still on.

On the 8th (local time), Yahoo Sports US reported that the voice of Todd Richards, NBC's snowboarding commentator, saying "boring" went out on air immediately after the men's snowboard big air final. Just before the broadcast feed switched to a preview of figure skating, Richards muttered to himself that it was "boring" and that "the qualifiers were much more fun." Such an on-air mishap is referred to as a "hot mic" incident.

After the broadcast, having received complaints from viewers, Richards wrote on his social media (SNS) that he "never intended to criticize the athletes," although he did not retract his remark itself. Richards explained, "In the final, many riders fell, and almost everyone kept repeating the same tricks," adding that he meant "the level of riding in the final was disappointing compared with the qualifiers, where a wider variety of tricks and more creativity were on display." However, he added, "If my comment sounded like an attack on the riders, I apologize," and said, "The riders are my heroes and my peers."

Ogiwara Hiroto is falling during his run in the men's snowboard big air at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Livigno (Italy) ? UPI/Yonhap

In that day's men's snowboard big air final, several riders made mistakes, including favorite Su Yiming of China, who fell while attempting a highly difficult trick, and the atmosphere became unsettled amid controversy over the scoring. Japan's Kira Kimura, with 179.5 points, and Ryoma Kimata, with 171.5 points, won the gold and silver medals, respectively. Defending champion Su Yiming took the bronze medal.

Yahoo Sports wrote of Oliver Martin, who finished fourth with 163.00 points, that he "narrowly missed out on a medal amid controversy over the judges' scoring," pointing out that "Olympic medalist Su Yiming still took bronze despite landing his final run with both hands on the snow."

The outlet added, "Su Yiming attempted the most difficult trick of the entire event in his bid for gold, but it is standard to deduct points if the trick is not fully completed," and noted, "Up until Su Yiming's score was announced, it looked as though Martin would be on the podium, but Su received 80.25 points and pushed Martin off the podium." It continued, "It is hard to say this was a fair outcome. Events like big air are inherently subjective," and criticized, "The judges could have taken much larger deductions, but instead they rewarded the attempt itself more than they penalized the failed landing."