Beijing Winter Olympics: Gios: “I haven’t talked to the Fountain since October 12”

From our correspondent Paolo Marabini

February 18
– BEIJING

“Arianna hasn’t spoken to me for months. The last time it happened was on 12 October at the delivery of the Coni collars”. The response of Andrea Gios, president of Federghiaccio, during the meeting with the press at Casa Italia says a lot about the relationship between the FISG and its most medalized athlete, as well as the best known. A case that has held court throughout the Olympics, since the day of the first medal, the silver one won by the 31-year-old from Valtellina with her teammates in the mixed relay, then increased after the gold on the 500 and reaffirmed at the end of the 1500 d ‘ silver, Wednesday evening, when Angelo Biondo became the most medal-medalist (men included) of the Winter Games with 11 podiums.

“The rules must be respected”

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“I knew she would let off steam – Gios said – but as a Federation we have nothing to reproach ourselves with. We have always worked with the utmost care, in the interest of the Federation and Arianna. She is our most important asset. But there are rules. , it’s not that the athletes can choose their national team coaches. Our goal is to make all the athletes grow, including Arianna. “Gios then went into more detail.” She was put in the conditions that we considered optimal to be able to play his activity, following his and her husband-coach’s requests without there being any repercussions on the group. And the results prove it, his and the team’s “.

The knot ct

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To the accusations of the Olympic short track champion, according to which the FISG would even hinder her in her approach to the Games, Gios replied, recalling that the “federation has assumed all the expenses for Arianna’s preparation in these three years. Lobello presented us with a program and we fully complied with the requests of the coach, supporting all the expenses, from the apartment to the machinery, when Arianna decided to break away from the national team and go to train in Hungary. When the conditions to stay in Hungary failed, and Arianna and Anthony had to return, and returned to the blue group, there was no marginalization on our part. Lobello was simply not the technical manager of the national team, so he had limitations. But he was certainly not prevented from training Arianna ”. The knot is just that. “We do not believe that Lobello has what it takes to be the coach of the entire short track national team. We have 18 other athletes. There is not only Ariadne ”said Gios. Question: “But then the bone of contention revolves around the figure of Lobello as coach”? “. Joshua’s response: “In the past, yes. Now I don’t know if Arianna still claims this and puts it as her main point. We haven’t talked to each other since last 12 October, here she avoids me, she also avoided the meetings at Casa Italia with the other teammates. In any case, Ippolito Sanfratello, our general secretary, has always kept in touch with her almost daily “.

“Accusations to Unpleasant Comrades”

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We also return to talk about the misconduct in training, which Arianna denounced in recent days, recalling how her teammates (one in particular) would have tried to damage her on the track, trying to make her fall. “The most out of tune part of Ariadne’s utterances – said Gios – concerns this story, which moreover dates back to three years ago, which we had faced and clarified about her at the time of her and for us she was dead and buried. It had emerged that it was a typical situation of a common training, in which a female athlete has to deal with companions who have a decidedly more important physical structure, so the contacts that can be in the short track do not they are the same as there would be among women. Moreover, these same men that you accuse have trained for years with Arianna, they have made her grow, they have brought her up to these medals. I find this unpleasant exit from her, she destroyed the team atmosphere in such an important moment. I really believe in the group, she clashes with each other and clarifies each other in the locker room, then she wins the group. Arianna is an extraordinary champion, I need a leader. During an Olympics no such declarations are made ”. But then is a comparison in sight? It will necessarily be necessary, but it will not be in a very short time. The federal elections will take place on March 19, Gios is the only candidate: “Before the renewal of the Council it makes no sense to discuss this case. But it will be one of our priorities after the election. We will certainly try to facilitate and help it, as we have done so far. But if Lobello wants to become the coach of the national team, I immediately say that it is not possible ”