(Reuters) – Italian rower Giacomo Perini was disqualified and lost his Paralympics bronze medal after he was found with a mobile phone on his boat in Paris on Sunday, but the athlete said it was an oversight and he never used it to communicate.
Perini, 28, finished third in the PR1 men’s single sculls final, the classification for those using only their arms and shoulders to row, but his joy was short-lived as World Rowing later announced his disqualification.
“In the final of the PR1 men’s singles, the Italian athlete was found to be using communications equipment during the race, in violation of rule 28 and Appendix R2, Bye-Law of rule 28,” a World Rowing statement said.
Perini said it was an oversight, that he left his phone in a small bag on the boat which also contained a bottle of water, and disagreed with the wording of the statement, saying he was not in breach of the rule.
“They didn’t ‘find’ me simply because I never used the mobile phone on the boat,” Perini told ANSA.
“I gave the phone to the jury so that they could see that the last call was from the night before, with the psychologist.
“The rules do not say that you cannot bring the phone, but that you cannot communicate.”
The rule in question states ‘no communication with the crew is permitted from outside the boat using electric or electronic equipment’.
The Italian Rowing Federation filed an appeal which was rejected and said they were preparing to appeal the decision to the World Rowing Executive Board.
Erik Horrie of Australia was promoted from fourth place, with Britain’s Benjamin Pritchard having won gold and Ukraine’s Roman Polianskyi taking silver.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Ken Ferris)
