Paralympic rower Giacomo Perini was celebrating his bronze medal victory in the men’s single sculls final when he was told that the cell phone found in his boat disqualified him from the race. He has been stripped of his medal.
If you’re mad about this, then maybe you should consult rule 28 of the World Rowing rules and regulations, which explicitly states that competitors are prohibited from using communications equipment during competitions.
In an appeal, Perini argued that the phone, which was stashed in a small bag along with a water bottle, was left there accidentally and did not provide any aid in his third-place finish. World Rowing says that doesn’t matter. The phone simply being there on the boat with him as he raced is more than enough grounds for disqualification.
I guess there are just too many unknown factors to take into account. Even the suspicion of impropriety is enough for disqualification.
Perini even provided evidence by showing that the last call on his phone was made the night before the race. World Rowing said something to the effect of “la la la I can’t hear you” and upheld the decision, even after the Italian Rowing Federation filed an appeal. The Italian Rowing Federation filed another appeal to the World Rowing Executive Board. They upheld the decision.
So, World Rowing’s decision is final. Giacomo Perini’s bronze medal has been taken away and awarded to Australian rower Erik Horrie, who originally finished fourth. Britain’s Benjamin Pritchard won gold and Ukraine’s Roman Polianskyi got silver.
The post Italian Rower Stripped of Paralympic Medal After Cellphone Found in Boat appeared first on VICE.
The post Italian Rower Stripped of Paralympic Medal After Cellphone Found in Boat appeared first on VICE.
