Italian Curling Furor as Winter Olympics Loom

Italian curling has been rocked by a team selection scandal just two weeks before the start of the Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games.

Angela Romei, 28, was recently told she is off the team. Her replacement is the daughter of Italian curling’s technical director.

Romei was a longtime member of the women’s fours squad currently skipped by Stefania Constantini, who won Olympic gold in mixed doubles four years ago in Beijing. Romei has competed in six world championships and nine European championships, winning Euro silver in 2023 and bronze in 2017, and has been a regular on the Grand Slam circuit in the current quadrennial.

Rebecca Mariani, 19, skipped Italy at the world juniors in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the site of February’s Olympic curling competition, and finished last at 2-7. Her competition bio also includes four world junior B competitions (fifth and seventh place) and the 2024 Youth Olympic Winter Games (seventh).

Unconfirmed reports say her junior team defeated Constantini’s to win the 2025 national title.

The move is believed to see former alternate Marta Lo Deserto jump into the lineup, while Mariani will stay primarily as the alternate.

FISG, the Italian Ice Sports Federation, also announced Alberto Pimipini as the alternate for Jöel Retornaz’s Olympic men’s fours team. Pimpini made the the cut ahead of hopeful Giacomo Colli, who was Retornaz’s alternate at last year’s world championships in Moose Jaw, Sask.

Accusations of nepotism regarding the women’s lineup are raging in the small but loyal Italian curling community.

“I’d like to think clearly, but the fact that this happened 15 days before the Olympics is unacceptable,” reads one online comment. “I feel sorry for the women’s national team, who has always had their strength in the group and in the team spirit, and that destroys just before the most important event in their lives. I feel sorry for Rebecca Mariani, because everyone will wonder if she really deserves it or not.

“I feel sorry for Italian curling, as its credibility diminishes at the perhaps most critical moment in its history, with the Olympics at home and concrete possibilities for medals.”

“Angela we are with you always and not against Rebecca who is not the cause of this situation... but we don’t understand the reason,” reads another.

One commenter noted that Romei hadn’t been performing well, and had been dropped from second position to lead at some recent events.

“Marco Mariani, I didn't expect this from you, you are ruining that movement that was growing and knew how to gain respect in the world of world curling,” wrote another. “Why are are you doing this?”

FISG issued a statement defending the Romei/Mariani decision.

“The choice made ​by the ‌technical director, in consultation with the coaches of the individual national teams, is purely technical in nature, based on the performances of the individual players over the last year,” FISG said.

“Rebecca Mariani, in the role of alternate, has playing characteristics that allow her to fill all four roles in the team, unlike Romei, who has always filled only one. This offers the technical director greater assurance and coverage in case of need.”

FISG also noted Rebecca Mariani had played ‌three international tournaments “with the senior team” this current season.

The Curling News can find evidence of only one such appearance, last week in Scotland. At the Perth Masters, Rebecca Mariani played lead on a team that didn’t include Constantini, who was training for mixed doubles that week. In other 2025-26 tour events, Mariani skipped her own team.

Team Constantini, with Romei,  played five Grand Slam events plus the European Championships in late 2025 and January of this year, all without Mariani.

Marco Mariani was appointed head of Italy’s youth curling program by Swiss Olympian Claudio Pescia in 2022, and replaced Pescia as curling’s technical director in 2024.

Pescia, now Head of Sports for SWISSCURLING, cited Italian sport politics as a partial reason for his abrupt departure that year, stating “From my point of view, the Olympics are overrated and can lead to strange behaviours in some people.”

Romei herself remained silent for days, but recently spoke with the daily La Stampa.

“If it had been a tactical decision, they could have tried it out much earlier and then weighed things up, explaining ‍the reasons to those directly involved,” Romei said.

Romei added Marco Mariani told her she had been left out in a telephone call ‌rather than an in-person discussion.

“I have always believed in human relationships and fair play both on and off the field of ​play, and what happened ‌to me is the antithesis of all that.”

In another La Stampa story published today, Marco Mariani denied any charges of nepotism.

“Rebecca is talented; she didn't get here through connections,” said Mariani. “Was I supposed to exclude her just because she is my daughter?”

Marco Mariani competed at the 2006 Games in Pinerolo with current Italian men’s skip Retornaz. His previous coaching job prior to returning to Italy was with China’s women’s team, which finished seventh four years ago in Beijing.

In one of his first acts as technical director, Mariani fired Italian women’s team and mixed doubles coach Violetta Caldart, who also competed for Italy back in 2006.

Mariani appointed Sweden’s Soren Grahn, who also coached in China with Mariani, as Caldart’s replacement.

Canada’s Ryan Fry, a 2014 Olympic champion, was hired as men’s team coach by Pescia and remains on staff in the Mariani era.

Constantini and her mixed doubles teammate Amos Mosaner begin the defense of their Olympic title in Cortina on Feb. 5 against Korea and Canada.

The Italian women's fours first take to the ice against Switzerland on Feb. 12.

In 2024, both Marinis – natives to Cortina d'Ampezzo – were based in Pinerolo.

“She chose to follow me here, leaving all her friends behind, thinking I was the only coach capable of helping her grow,” Marco Mariani told Olympics.com.

“I’m very severe with her. Because of my role, I need to be impartial and I can'’t make it seem like she’s favoured.”