Favoritism Furor Erupts After Top Coach’s Daughter Named To Olympic Team
MILAN, January 21 (Reuters) – The Italian women’s curling team is facing a favoritism row after their coach’s daughter was selected for next month’s Winter Olympics in their country.
Rebecca Mariani, Marco Mariani’s 19-year-old daughter, was among five women on the Italian squad for the Games to be held in Milan Cortina next month.
The selection sparked an angry reaction from Angela Romei, who was excluded after being part of the squad for several years.
Romei complained that he was dropped in favor of an inexperienced player less than a month before the Olympics.
“If it had been a tactical decision, they could have tried it much earlier and then weighed everything and explained their reasons to those directly involved,” he told Italian newspaper La Stampa.
Romei said coach Marco Mariani told him he was forgotten during a phone call instead of meeting face to face.
“I have always believed in human relations and fair play, both on and off the playing field, and what happened to me was the antithesis of these,” he added.
The Italian Ice Sports Federation (FISG) strongly defended the decision.
“The selection made by the coach, in consultation with the coaches of the national teams, is purely technical in nature and is based on the performances of individual players over the past year,” it said in a statement to Reuters.
“Rebecca Mariani, in the substitute (backup) role, has game characteristics that allow her to fill all four roles in the team, unlike Romei, who always fills only one. This offers the manager more assurance and coverage in case of need,” he added.
Marco Mariani is a well-known name in the sports world. He was a member of the Italy team at the 2006 Winter Olympics and coached China’s women’s team before taking up his current role in 2024.
The family comes from Cortina, where the Olympic curling events will be held. Rebecca Mariani represented Italy at the 2024 World Youth Olympics and FISG noted that she has played three international tournaments with the senior team this season.
Italy’s women’s team at the Olympics next month will be led by Stefania Constantini, who won mixed doubles gold with Amos Mosaner in Beijing in 2022.
