«Arianna Fontana will compete with Italy, we spoke»- Corriere.it

Arianna Fontana will continue to compete with Italy at the next Olympics. Coni president Giovanni Malag said it on Friday: he called me last weekend and we spoke several times. I have to say it: not in question that Arianna Fontana does not continue to compete for Italy and I think this is good news. I’m not saying that she was misinterpreted, but she didn’t have the precision to tell her state of mind due to some considerations made in some moments of her career.

Fontana — an authentic monument of world short track with 11 medals at the Winter Olympic Games (2 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze since 2006), as well as 17 world championships — two weeks ago, 37 months after the home Olympics, scheduled in Milan and Cortina, had feared a farewell to the blue colors reiterating via social media that she had been to the United States to see what the United States and Salt Lake City have to offer in case I had to continue my Olympic journey.

Words that – also recalling that the controversies have been dragging on for almost ten years and that the most medal-winning blue athlete ever admits that her trust in the technical and federal staff is irrecoverable – are difficult to misunderstand, but which Malag minimizes: I also spoke about it with (the president of Federghiaccio, ed) Andrea Gios, if there are open questions, they must be detailed. Then, whoever has to judge will make the evaluations of him. At the end of these phone calls my trust in Arianna 100% unchanged.

Malag also spoke of the opening to a return to the blue shirt of Paola Egonu, who was co-host in Sanremo on Thursday evening. The national discourse is not up to me, but to the technicians. Having said that, I am convinced that she will certainly be one of the protagonists of our team. On the affirmation of the blue champion who defined Italy as a racist country, she instead added: I am happy with her words and in my opinion she was very good. You said things in a moderate and important way. You and I know that I worked for several months for him to go to Sanremo, I am happy with the great message.