Favoritism Furor Erupts After Top Coach’s Daughter Named To Olympic Team | EUROtoday

MILAN, Jan 21 (Reuters) – The Italian ladies’s curling staff 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 ladies named within the Italy squad for the Games subsequent month which can 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 decision, they could have tried it out much earlier and then weighed things up, explaining the reasons to those directly involved,” she instructed Italian day by day La Stampa.

Romei mentioned technical director Marco Mariani instructed her she had been unnoticed in a phone name slightly than face-to-face.

“I have always believed in human relationships and fair play both on and off the field of play, and what happened to me is the antithesis of all that,” she added.

The Italian Ice Sports Federation (FISG) strongly defended the choice.

“The choice made by the technical director, in consultation with the coaches of the individual national teams, is purely technical in nature, based on the performances of the individual players over the last year,” it mentioned in a press release to Reuters.

“Rebecca Mariani, in the role of alternate (reserve), has playing characteristics that allow her to fill all four roles in the team, unlike Romei, who has always filled only one. This offers the technical director greater assurance and coverage in case of need,” it added.

Marco Mariani is a well known determine within the sport. He was a member of the Italy staff on the 2006 Winter Olympics and coached China’s ladies’s staff earlier than taking over his present submit in 2024.

The household is from Cortina the place the Olympic curling occasions can 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 staff this season.

Italy’s ladies’s staff on the Games subsequent month can be led by Stefania Constantini, who gained a gold medal with Amos Mosaner within the blended doubles in Beijing in 2022.