MILAN, Jan 21 (Reuters) – The Italian girls’s curling crew have been hit by a favouritism row after the collection of their technical director’s daughter for subsequent month’s Winter Olympics of their dwelling nation.
Rebecca Mariani, the 19-year-old daughter of Marco Mariani, was among the many 5 girls named within the Italy squad for the Video games subsequent month which will likely be hosted in Milano Cortina
The choice introduced an offended response from Angela Romei, who has been omitted after being within the squad for a number of years.
Romei complained that she had been dropped lower than a month earlier than the Olympics in favour of an inexperienced participant.
“If it had been a tactical choice, they might have tried it out a lot earlier after which weighed issues up, explaining the explanations to these immediately concerned,” she instructed Italian day by day La Stampa.
Romei mentioned technical director Marco Mariani instructed her she had been not noted in a phone name quite than face-to-face.
“I’ve at all times believed in human relationships and honest play each on and off the sector of play, and what occurred to me is the antithesis of all that,” she added.
The Italian Ice Sports activities Federation (FISG) strongly defended the choice.
“The selection made by the technical director, in session with the coaches of the person nationwide groups, is only technical in nature, based mostly on the performances of the person gamers during the last yr,” it mentioned in a press release to Reuters.
“Rebecca Mariani, within the position of alternate (reserve), has taking part in traits that enable her to fill all 4 roles within the crew, not like Romei, who has at all times stuffed just one. This presents the technical director better assurance and protection in case of want,” it added.
Marco Mariani is a well known determine within the sport. He was a member of the Italy crew on the 2006 Winter Olympics and coached China’s girls’s crew earlier than taking over his present publish in 2024.
The household is from Cortina the place the Olympic curling occasions will likely be staged. Rebecca Mariani represented Italy on the World Youth Olympics in 2024 and FISG famous she had already performed three worldwide tournaments with the senior crew this season.
Italy’s girls’s crew on the Video games subsequent month will likely be led by Stefania Constantini, who received a gold medal with Amos Mosaner within the combined doubles in Beijing in 2022.
