“Don’t call us butterflies anymore”: the announcement of the blues of rhythmic gymnastics

Our name is our identity, which has a personal but also a social, public dimension. Sometimes a name can become heavy, unsustainable. After the psychological abuses and maltrattamenti reported and discovered in the world of rhythmic gymnastics, the announcement of the national team that wants to avoid any identification with them. And so she chooses to be called (and be called) differently.

Eighteen years after the Olympic silver medal in Athens 2004, and 48 hours before the Federginnastica council which will have to decide on the assignment of the technical director and coach, Emanuela Maccarani, I am the captain Alessia Maurelli and Martina Centofanti, a leading exponent of the bronze national team in Tokyo 2020 and daughter of the former Inter full-back, to declare their sadness. «The era of “Butterflies” journalistically born in August 2004, dies after 18 years in November», the common post on Instagram, with the photo of a blue butterfly with a broken wing. «The rupture is painful and irreversible – write the two athletes -, above all given the unsustainable weight of a direct and now inevitable link to violence and abuse in the media that does not reflect our own ideal of freedom. The current and future National Rhythmic Gymnastics team will never recognize themselves again with the nickname Butterflies».

From a figurative point of view, the word “butterfly” indicates a “light and fickle person”. According to Treccani, it means “light woman, who easily passes from one love to another”. He regrets that this meaning prevails in the collective imagination, while on a symbolic level the butterfly instead evokes an image of rebirth, transformation, hope, courage and beauty. She also evokes her happiness in her poignant insubstantiality, which brings her closer to poetry. “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the rest of the world calls a butterfly,” wrote the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu. But we are now in other times.

While awaiting the developments of the judicial investigation by the Monza prosecutor’s office into the Desio Academy (Maccarani is being investigated for ill-treatment) and the outcome of the sporting referral against the coach and her assistant Tishina, the coaching future of the club is in doubt rhythmic blue.

On Thursday at Coni, the FIG federal council will also host Giovanni Malagò, president of the Olympic committee. The first item on the agenda refers to theHandle, the question of whether or not to renew Maccarani’s mandate; all contracts expired on 31 December, only the activities in Desio have been extended for now, the decision is whether to choose the guaranteed line (an online pro-ct petition has collected many signatures, but the federation distances itself) or suspend Maccarani from his roles.

The author of the “Butterflies” phenomenon is both technical director and national coach, a precautionary suspension of the first role is also possible with the federal president, Gherardo Tecchi (or a person indicated by him) taking over. In that case, the appointment of the coach would move to the council meeting on 2 February. In any case, the decision will have an impact on the World Cup in Valencia, scheduled for August and valid as a qualifier for Paris 2024.

“I play the bad guy, but I’ve never offended any gymnast,” Maccarani said today, in an interview with Corriere della Sera in which he reaffirms the expressed will to recover “dignity”. «In these conditions – she adds – how can Federginnastica not send me away? I’m not going to be the scapegoat. Take away my role as manager and remain coach of the national team? Then they will hear my answer.’