Regattas in Venice, it’s stormy. Season over, tension skyrocketing
Delegate Giovanni Giusto accused: “Absurd, I’ve been working hard for years”. Waiting for the doping sentence. The Democratic Party: “Let the mayor intervene”
VENICE. «I would not like to answer, so as not to rekindle absurd polemics. I say that for years I have been fighting to defend rowing, that as a delegate I don’t earn a cent. I do not understand the reason for these accusations which our world certainly does not need ». The mayor’s delegate for Traditions and rowing, the Northern League player Giovanni Giusto, is said to be “embittered”.
On Sunday the eight flags of the Regatta of the Century refused to go up on stage to receive the flags from him, as usually happens. Blatant protest, which embarrassed the organizers of the Regatta of the Century, the beneficial Biri Biri. Decided by a group of sailors who have been in fierce controversy with their delegate for months. The winner Giuliano Pagan, returning after a one-year disqualification, the lawyer Marino Almansi, the former president of the category Gaetano Bregantin, Cristiano Crea and Alberto Pagan. A month ago the letter of no confidence, signed by the president of the racing association Claudio Carrettin. Giusto rejects the accusations. «It all stems from those who were disqualified for having blown the 2020 Burano regatta. They asked me to intervene. But I haven’t disqualified anyone. It was the Technical Commission. If the judge makes a decision, politics cannot intervene. Behind all this there is a political game ».
Monica Sambo, group leader pd In the city council, asks the mayor to intervene. “Obviously,” he says, “his delegate no longer has the confidence of the rowers he should represent.” Giusto does not give up. «I will continue to serve the interests of Venice. That story is absurd. They protested that two sailors who had rowed with the spore boat had been readmitted. But those were right. And there was no time to redo the qualifying heats ».
Even the assembly of sailors took a majority against the delegate. Renewing the mandate of the resigning Director and President Carrettin. But confirming the reasons for the protest.
On the other hand, it is replied that the Municipality has done everything to get regattas, the first sporting events open to the public in Italy, to resume in full pandemic. To have recovered the students’ regatta and now also the Palio dei Galleons. But the temperature on sale. Another decision on a thorny case is also expected in the following hours. The decision of the Technical Commission on the case of doping ascertained at the arrival of the 2021 Historical Regatta of the gondolini. The first two classified crews must undergo the tests. One of the four athletes tested positive. It is not the Vignottos, who have exhibited the certificate of negative results. The gondolino of the Busetto brothers remains. The younger of the two, Renato, has been summoned by the commission, suspended as a precaution for a month. Also for this reason, it seems, the two had withdrawn from the Burano regatta on 19 September.
Now the Commission will have to examine Renato Busetto’s defensive writings and decide. A disqualification is possible, even if there is no precedent of this kind in the world of regattas. In the case of an assessmentguilt, the second place won with great merit by the two brothers from Castello behind the Vignottos would be canceled. The flag withdrawn but not assigned to others. Because the regulation of Venetian rowing provides that the final classification of the races cannot be changed in any way. This is also a theme that makes the world of regattas discuss. With the champions divided between guilty and innocent.