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There’s plenty of alcohol to be found at the Winter Olympics, but it goes without saying you need to exercise some restraint and responsibility if you’re there to do a job. That’s especially true if you’re an athlete competing for a medal, but an Australian reporter also learned why you want to abstain when you’re on the clock after an awkward segment went viral.
The Winter Olympics may be the main attraction for the many people who’ve made the pilgrimage to Milano Cortina this February, but athletes, spectators, and media members tasked with covering the affair are also able to take advantage of a wide array of extracurricular activities at their disposal.
Competitors may be primarily focused on the events they’re competing in when they arrive at the Olympic Village, but that area is known for turning into a massive party hub as more and more athletes take advantage of a well-earned excuse to unwind once they’re done contending while also getting the chance to explore what the surrounding area has to offer.
Reporters who are dispatched to the Olympics have a bit more leeway to enjoy themselves when you consider covering the events tends to be less of a high-stakes duty than competing in them, but one broadcaster from Australia had to do some damage control after her decision to help herself to some booze before going on camera came back to bite her.
Australian sports reporter Danika Mason issued an apology after her decision to drink before a live segment ended up backfiring
Danika Mason is best known for covering rugby for Australia’s Nine Network, but she has slowly but surely expanded her horizons on the sports coverage front and got the chance to branch out when she was sent to Italy to serve as a correspondent during the 2026 Winter Olympics.
There was plenty of action to cover, as Australia sent a delegation of 53 athletes competing in 11 different sports at what is already the most successful Winter Olympics in the country’s history; the three golds and six overall medals mark an all-time high in both columns.
Australian viewers who tune into Nine Network for Winter Olympic coverage in the morning are technically getting updates from the previous night, as Italy is 10 hours behind the time in Sydney (and lagging by seven if you’re in Perth).
That means people like Mason have to exercise some restraint when it comes to having drinks in the evening. However, it seemed safe to assume she had failed to do that based on the bizarre segment viewers who tuned into the Today show on Wednesday morning were treated to, as she rambled about the price of coffee and randomly mentioned iguanas while reporting on what was Tuesday night in Livigno.
Australian Olympic reporter Danika Mason was completely hammered on air and then issued an apology the next day. 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/JE4dxWJFp1
— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) February 19, 2026
To her credit, Mason took full responsibility for what she positioned as a lapse in judgment, saying the cold weather, altitude, and her decision to skip dinner contributed to the awkward situation while issuing an on-air apology where she acknowledged booze had played a role, saying, “I totally misjudged the situation, I shouldn’t have had a drink.”
According to News9, she not only received the full support of her colleagues back home but Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who said, “I’m pro Danika. Good on her” while downplaying things in an interview.