Overview
- Multiple Olympic champions, including Silvio Fauner and Piero Gros, say they were excluded or contacted with last‑minute or informal messages, with Gros declining a day‑before offer in Turin.
- Sports minister Andrea Abodi asked the Milan‑Cortina Foundation and CONI to detail selection criteria, saying sporting legends should have been prioritized.
- The Lega party condemned the choices as incomprehensible, highlighting frustration over the limited involvement of celebrated athletes.
- Organizers cited a rule barring holders of political office to explain Fauner’s absence, while broader criteria and decision processes remain unclear.
- Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that ex‑cyclist Marco Fertonani, previously sanctioned for doping, carried the torch despite rules excluding anyone with a doping conviction, alleging a partner‑nominated entry that passed security checks but not sports vetting; a separate case in Siracusa involved a former athlete with doping issues serving only as a “flame angel.”