Italian curling faces backlash after veteran Angela Romei was replaced on the women's Olympic team by Rebecca Mariani, the 19-year-old daughter of technical director Marco Mariani, just two weeks before the Milano-Cortina Games. Accusations of nepotism have ignited fury in the community, threatening the sport's credibility at a pivotal moment. The Italian Ice Sports Federation defends the decision as purely technical.
The controversy erupted in mid-January 2026, as Italy prepares to host the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina. Angela Romei, a 28-year-old veteran with six world championships and nine European appearances—including silver in 2023 and bronze in 2017—learned via telephone that she was off the women's fours team skipped by Olympic mixed doubles gold medalist Stefania Constantini. Replacing her is Rebecca Mariani, who at 19 has limited senior experience but skipped Italy to a 2-7 finish at the world juniors in Cortina d'Ampezzo, the Olympic curling venue.
Unconfirmed reports suggest Mariani's junior squad defeated Constantini's to claim the 2025 national title. The adjustment elevates former alternate Marta Lo Deserto into the lineup, with Rebecca Mariani serving primarily as alternate. The Italian Ice Sports Federation (FISG) insists the choice stems from performances over the past year. "The choice made by the technical director, in consultation with the coaches, is purely technical in nature," FISG stated. They highlighted Mariani's versatility to fill any of the four roles, unlike Romei, who specialized in one position, and claimed she played three senior internationals this season—though evidence shows only one, at the Perth Masters in Scotland.
Online, the small curling community vented outrage. One comment read: "I’d like to think clearly, but the fact that this happened 15 days before the Olympics is unacceptable... I feel sorry for Italian curling, as its credibility diminishes." Another supported Romei: "Angela we are with you always... but we don’t understand the reason." Critics targeted Marco Mariani, appointed technical director in 2024 after leading the youth program: "Marco Mariani, I didn't expect this from you, you are ruining that movement."
Romei told La Stampa: "If it had been a tactical decision, they could have tried it out much earlier... what happened to me is the antithesis of all that." Marco Mariani denied nepotism: "Rebecca is talented; she didn't get here through connections. Was I supposed to exclude her just because she is my daughter?" A 2006 Olympian himself, Mariani previously coached China's seventh-place women's team in Beijing.
Meanwhile, FISG named Alberto Pimpini as alternate for Jöel Retornaz's men's team, bypassing Giacomo Colli. Constantini and Amos Mosaner defend their mixed doubles title starting February 5 against Korea and Canada, while the women's fours face Switzerland on February 12.
