Paralympic Games: Denounced by the fourth, he loses his bronze medal after taking a phone from his boat

Coup dur pour Perini. MAXPPP – PHILIPP SCHMIDLI

Lors des épreuves d’aviron des Jeux Paralympiques, l’Italien Giacomo Perini, arrivé initialement troisième de la finale du skiff PR1, ce dimanche, a finalement été disqualifié, après avoir été dénoncé, pour avoir pris son téléphone sur le bateau.

A third place, synonymous with a bronze medal, the Italian Giacomo Perini was in heaven at the finish of the PR1 skiff final, arriving behind the Briton Benjamin Pritchard and the Ukrainian Roman Polianskyi. A happiness not shared by Erik Horrie, fourth in the race.

The 28-year-old Italian was reportedly denounced by his Australian counterpart, shortly after the finish, before the International Federation (FISA) published a press release announcing the disqualification of the Transalpine after “a means of communication was used during the race”. A cell phone was found on Perini's boat.

“Why would you try something like that in the final?”

Benjamin Pritchard, 32, the winner of the race, said Perini had a phone in his boat, in a race where athletes row with their backs to the finish line. “He had a phone in the boat and you're not allowed to communicate like that,”, he said. “With our handicap, we can't look around us”, recalled the Briton, saying “not understanding why you would try something like that in the final”.

Against the rule

The rule states that the athlete cannot bring electronic equipment on board the boat with which he could transmit and receive information, even if it is not used.

The bronze medal was re-awarded to the Australian, the Italian Federation appealed, stating that its athlete, vice-world champion and vice-European champion, had "forgotten his phone" at the start of the race. A bad advertisement for the Paralympic Games.