During the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the TV anchor made a comment as the Dutch team entered the stadium, saying to her audience of millions watching the games:
"Why are they so good, you may be asking yourselves? Because skating is an important mode of transportation in a city like Amsterdam. It has lots of canals that can freeze in winter. So for as long as the canals have existed the Dutch have skated on them to get from place to place to race each other and to have fun", the veteran broadcaster added innocently.”
On February 13, after massive backlash and mockery, Couric apologized for her comment, saying that she was “on thin ice,” and expressed eagerness to visit the Netherlands after the Dutch embassy invited her to see “all the innovative ways the Dutch get around.”
People have been poking fun at Couric’s stereotypical views of the Netherlands…
…some were offended by what she had said, denouncing NBC as "fake news":
While others said they liked her comment:
There were also those who did not understand the buzz around Couric’s statement:
Either way, many Dutch users accepted her apology: