MILAN, Jan 21 (Reuters) – Italy’s women’s curling team has been hit by a row over favoritism following the selection of their technical director’s daughter for next month’s Winter Olympics in their home country.
Rebecca Mariani, the 19-year-old daughter of Marco Mariani, was one of five women named in the Italian squad for next month’s Games, which will take place in Milano Cortina.
The selection provoked an angry reaction from Angela Romei, who was left out of the selection after a number of years.
Romei complained that she was dropped less than a month before the Olympics in favor of an inexperienced player.
“If it had been a tactical decision, they could have tried it much earlier and then weighed things up and explained the reasons to those directly involved,” she told Italian daily La Stampa.
Romei said technical director Marco Mariani told her she had been left out during a phone call rather than face-to-face.
“I have always believed in human relationships and fair play, both on and off the playing field, and what happened to me is the antithesis of all that,” she added.
The Italian Ice Sports Federation (FISG) strongly defended the decision.
“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 performance of the individual players over the past year,” it said in a statement to Reuters.
“Rebecca Mariani, in the role of substitute (reserve), has playing qualities that allow her to fulfill all four roles in the team, unlike Romei, who has always fulfilled only one. This provides the technical director with greater security and cover in case of emergency,” it added.
Marco Mariani is a well-known figure in sports. He was part of the Italian team at the 2006 Winter Olympics and coached the Chinese women’s team before taking up his current role in 2024.
The family is from Cortina, where the Olympic curling events will take place. Rebecca Mariani represented Italy at the 2024 World Youth Olympic Games and FISG noted that she had already played three international tournaments with the senior team this season.
The Italian women’s team at next month’s Games will be led by Stefania Constantini, who won a gold medal with Amos Mosaner in the mixed doubles in Beijing in 2022.
