The organisers of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony have refused to deny claims that pop icon Mariah Carey lip-synced during her performance at the sporting event's inauguration in Milan.
Carey, who sang the classic tune 'Volare' to mark the start of the 25th Olympic Winter Games, was quickly ridiculed on social media, with spectators accusing the singer of faking her way through the song.
When asked directly whether Carey was lip-syncing, the show's director, Maria Laura Iascone, confirmed that there had been a prerecording, but refused to say whether it had been used or if the singer had performed live, The Guardian reports.
'During all the ceremonies, in order to be on the safe side, we always record,' she said.
'But this is something that is practised internationally in events with high-level broadcasting.'
Iascone went on to say that she had no complaints with Carey's performance, hailing the singer's 'really extraordinary show.'
'It was fantastic for everybody, and we are all satisfied by the results we had. And the images prove it to you all because there was magic.'
A spokesperson for Milan-Cortina said some elements of the opening ceremony had been pre-recorded 'to ensure accurate timing, sound quality and a seamless broadcast.'
American singer Mariah Carey was slammed for her lip syncing at the Opening Ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics at the San Siro in Milan, Italy
Carey arrived in the early portion of the event to put on a 'performance' of the classic 'Volare'
It comes after Carey was accused of putting little effort into her 'attempts' to reach the top of her vocal range, with spectators claiming that the singer was at times moving her lips more slowly than what was being heard.
'I haven't seen a worse lip sync performance than this in years,' one upset user on X tweeted out while Carey was still on stage.
'Some of the most awful lip syncing by Mariah Carey [facepalm emoji] come on Italy, you have your own singers!!' another user posted.
Another post read, 'Witnessing Mariah Carey at the #Olympics2026 Opening Ceremony...she is stiff, lip syncing and looks like she's reading off a teleprompter.'
'mariah carey lip syncing looks awfully off,' one user posted.
One user posted, 'The worst part is that Mariah Carey isn't even trying to hide the fact she's lip syncing.'
'Mariah Carey ain't even singing this st smh hate lip syncing,' wrote another upset commenter.
Another posted, 'Mariah Carey is lip syncing at the f*ing Olympics.'
Carey was criticized on social media for the choice to lip sync at such a prestigious event
'I'm very confused why American Mariah Carey is lip syncing at the Opening Ceremony in Milan,' one user wondered.
While Carey doesn't have any Italian heritage - as she was born to a father with Irish ancestry and an Afro-Venezuelan mother - she is trained in opera and is capable of an impressive vocal range.
Still, her inclusion drew some confusion when it was initially announced in December.