Angela Romei v. Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio (FISG)

At a glance

Parties

Angela Romei (Italy) v. Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio (FISG, Italian Ice Sports Federation)

Case no.

CAS OG 26/005

Forum and rules

CAS ad hoc Division for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games; CAS Arbitration Rules for the Olympic Games

Panel

Annett Rombach (Sole Arbitrator)

Sector

Curling; Olympic team selection

Outcome

Application dismissed (8 February 2026). The athlete's non-selection for the Italian Olympic women's curling team was not shown to be arbitrary or unreasonable.

Amount

No monetary claim. The services of the ad hoc Division are free of charge, each party pays its own costs, and there is no order as to costs.

The dispute

Angela Romei, an Italian professional curler, was left out of the five-member Italian women's curling team that FISG announced for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games on 20 January 2026. The team included 19-year-old Rebecca Mariani, the daughter of the team's technical director, Marco Mariani. Romei argued that the selection was arbitrary and biased because of this conflict of interest. She also argued that FISG had published no selection criteria and that her senior-level record and statistics were better than Ms Mariani's junior record. She asked the Panel to set aside FISG's refusal of 2 February 2026 to reconsider the selection and to order that she replace Ms Mariani. FISG argued that the application was inadmissible because the nomination was CONI's decision and its letter was only an explanation. On the merits, FISG relied on a reasoned technical report co-signed by the national team coach and on Ms Mariani's versatility. The IOC, as an interested party, argued that the dispute arose outside the ten-day window of the ad hoc Division's jurisdiction.

Key holdings

1. Jurisdiction upheld without deciding when the dispute arose. FISG pleaded on admissibility and the merits without objecting to jurisdiction. Under Article 186(2) of the Swiss PILA this created a tacit arbitration agreement in favour of the CAS ad hoc Division. The IOC is not a direct party, so its objection had no bearing. ¶¶ 47–50
2. The application is admissible. FISG argued that Romei should have challenged CONI's nomination and that its letter was not a decision. These arguments go to the merits, not to admissibility under Article 1 of the CAS Ad Hoc Rules, which concerns the exhaustion of internal remedies. ¶¶ 51–52
3. Under Rule 44.4 of the Olympic Charter, national federations have broad discretion in recommending athletes for selection. That discretion is limited by a duty not to act arbitrarily, unfairly or unreasonably, both in the process and in the result. The reviewing body only examines whether the selection procedure was properly and fairly exercised; it does not substitute its own view of the best athlete. ¶¶ 58–61
4. The failure to communicate selection criteria in advance does not by itself make the selection unlawful. The criteria in FISG's valuation report (technical skills, team work, team dynamics, performance) are acceptable. Selection in a team sport such as curling rests largely on subjective judgement of team fit. ¶¶ 64–65
5. Better statistics, such as higher shot accuracy, are not in themselves an indication of arbitrariness. Ms Mariani's ability to play lead, second and third is a reasonable criterion, as is the future of the sport in the country. ¶ 69
6. There was not sufficient evidence that the assessments were fabricated to favour the technical director's daughter. The report was also signed by head coach Sören Gran, who observed the athletes. The evidence of former head coach Violetta Caldart carried little weight because she had not trained either athlete for 1.5 years. ¶¶ 70–72
7. The application is dismissed, and Romei has no claim to replace Ms Mariani. Under Article 22 of the CAS Ad Hoc Rules there is no order as to costs. ¶¶ 73–77; operative part

Procedural history

1. 20 January 2026FISG publishes its list of 87 athletes for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. The women's curling team includes Rebecca Mariani but not Angela Romei.
2. 30 January 2026Romei, through counsel, asks FISG to reconsider the selection and to disclose the selection report and criteria.
3. 2 February 2026FISG declines to reconsider the selection (the Challenged Decision).
4. 4 February 2026Romei files her Application with the CAS ad hoc Division. Her request to merge the case with CAS OG 26/06 is not accepted.
5. 5 February 2026The Application is notified and Annett Rombach is appointed Sole Arbitrator. The time limit for the decision is extended to 7 February 2026.
6. 6 February 2026The IOC files an amicus curiae brief contesting jurisdiction, and FISG files its Reply. The parties are invited to comment on jurisdiction.
7. February 2026Hearing by videoconference. It was scheduled for 7 February 2026; the award also records it as held on 6 February 2026.
8. 8 February 2026Award: the application is dismissed.

Tribunal, counsel and experts

Decided by

• Annett Rombach Sole arbitrator, CAS ad hoc Division

For the claimant

Jacques Blondin · Domenico Filosa

For the respondent

Biagio Giancola

For other participants

Antonio Rigozzi · Patrick Pithon

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Keywords

• Olympic selection
• curling
• Milano-Cortina 2026
• CAS ad hoc Division
• conflict of interest
• nepotism
• discretion of national federation
• Rule 44 Olympic Charter
• arbitrariness
• team selection criteria
• jurisdiction ratione temporis
• tacit acceptance of jurisdiction
• Article 186(2) PILA
• amicus curiae
• admissibility
• CONI

Summary generated with AI from the published documents — refer to the award for the authoritative text.