The Federazione Italiana Triathlon (FITRI, the Italian Triathlon Federation) is facing severe backlash after professional triathletes Elisabetta Curridori and Mattia Ceccarelli declared they no longer wish to compete for their native country. Both athletes will race in Kona representing Spain and Romania, respectively.
Neither athlete accepts the newly introduced “code of ethics” recently implemented by the Italian governing body, nor are they willing to comply with a professional license fee that skyrocketed by an astounding 1,900 percent overnight.
The main issue is not just the price hike itself – where an Italian pro license went from 10 euros to 200 euros – but the principle behind it. Both Ceccarelli and Curridori have competed at the highest level for years and state they have never received any form of financial compensation or support from their federation.
However, what both athletes find far more egregious is that the Italian pro license is now tied to a strict “code of ethics.” This code explicitly forbids athletes from publicly criticizing the federation. If an athlete violates this rule, they risk having their license revoked immediately. For Ceccarelli and Curridori, this new regulation was reason enough to unilaterally forfeit their Italian licenses and represent other nations instead.
In the comment sections of various social media posts discussing the situation, the FITRI is overwhelmingly being labeled as “MAFIA” by fans and fellow athletes alike.
