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The BBC has issued an apology after making a "terrible" mistake during its Winter Olympics coverage. The moment happened as Team GB athletes Matt Weston and Tabby Stoecker took gold in the mixed team skeleton relay event, with Stoecker leaving her teammate needing to make up a 0.3 second deficit on their German opposition to win.

Weston geared up for his run, watching anxiously for the red traffic light to turn off, with the camera fixated on him in a heart-stoppingly tense moment. But just before he launched into his own run, the camera instead switched to show his coach standing anxiously behind him - and the coverage missed the moment Weston actually pushed off to sprint across the ice.

Though his push-off was shown in the corner graphic, the main screen was entirely taken up by his coach's encouragement.

The broadcast was not under the BBC's control, having instead come straight from the Olympic broadcast, but commentator John Hunt was quick to offer an apology to viewers watching at home.

He said: "Oh,, what are they doing? What are they playing at? That's terrible. That's a great start. Sorry about the pictures but Matt is on his way."

Viewers were understandably furious, with one tweeting: "Good to see a historic Team GB moment have a shadowed start due to focusing on the coach instead of Matt Weston when the lights went out.

"It's a bit like focusing on Toto Wolff at the start of a Grand Prix. Madness!"

Another said: "The lights going out builds up the tension and adds to the entertainment factor as is that is the best shot to show. Hopefully they can find the wide shot of his start for replay packages!"

A third posted: "Is the Matt Weston skeleton event the BBC's worst blunder of the #Olympics so far? I think so."

Others were more encouraging, with one gushing: "That montage of Matt Weston winning gold along with his family, the BBC team and the studio just made me cry!"

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