Chris Dixon, the TNT Sports pundit and former biathlete, has issued an apology following his comparison of Canadian curler Marc Kennedy to disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong during the Winter Olympics broadcast.
The controversial remarks came on Day 11's edition of Buongiorno Milano, the network's daily coverage programme.
Dixon drew the parallel whilst discussing Kennedy's reaction to cheating allegations levelled against him by the Swedish team.
Armstrong, who had his seven Tour de France victories stripped after admitting to using performance-enhancing substances, became the unexpected reference point during the panel's analysis of the curling controversy.
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The comparison sparked immediate reactions from Dixon's fellow pundits in the studio.
Former alpine skier and ski cross racer Ed Drake was first to interject, exclaiming "Oh, here we go!" as Dixon made the Armstrong reference.
Presenter Orla Chennaoui and fellow pundit Aimee Fuller, the former Team GB slopestyle snowboarder, responded with audible shock to the comparison.
Chris Dixon, the TNT Sports pundit and former biathlete, has issued an apology following his comparison of Canadian curler Marc Kennedy to disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong during the Winter Olympics broadcast
|TNT
Fuller described the remark as "controversial" during the live broadcast.
Laura Robson, contributing via video link from Cortina d'Ampezzo for the curling segment, offered a wry observation: "I'm sure the curlers would love to be compared to Lance Armstrong."
Chennaoui expressed her disbelief at the unexpected turn in conversation, stating: "Never in my sporting broadcasting career did I think that Lance Armstrong would be compared to the Canadian curling team."
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Dixon acknowledged that his comparison was excessive, conceding: "Sorry, excuse me, that sounds a little bit hyperbolic.
"But what I'm saying is, listen, when you get that defensive, it's just a little bit like 'whoa, OK, everyone calm down a little bit'.
"It's just a little bit of a prod, and everybody's kicking off."
The former biathlete appeared to reference Armstrong's prolonged denial of doping allegations when making his initial point about defensive behaviour.
Dixon had observed of Kennedy: "It's so crazy, though, how defensive he got; that's the thing."
Drake had agreed with the assessment, suggesting Kennedy's reaction indicated awareness of wrongdoing, before Chennaoui posed the question about whether attack serves as the best form of defence.
Marc Kennedy was furious after being accused of cheating during the Winter Olympics
| GETTYThe incident at the centre of the controversy occurred over the weekend when Sweden accused Kennedy of touching a stone after he had already released it down the ice during their match.
Kennedy responded to the allegation with an expletive-laden outburst, which Dixon characterised as overly defensive behaviour.
The Canadian curler has since reflected on his conduct, acknowledging room for improvement whilst maintaining his position.
"I probably could have handled it better, but we're human out there, and there are a lot of emotions," he said.
"I'm not going to apologise for defending my teammates and standing up for myself."
He expressed particular regret about his language, noting that young curlers across Canada look up to him and his team.