During the competition, an incident occurred between Italian athlete Pietro Sighel and Canadian Maxime Laoun. Laoun attempted to overtake his opponent, resulting in contact that caused Sighel to fall on the ice.
After the race, the judges reviewed the episode; however, instead of restoring justice, the Italian athlete was completely disqualified, which sparked a wave of criticism.
The Italian sports federation immediately filed an official protest, pointing out the "contradictory and inconsistent decisions" of the same judge during the competition.
In its statement, the federation noted that such decisions raise concerns not only among Italian coaches but also among representatives of other countries. Furthermore, the Italian side expressed dissatisfaction with the actions of the International Skating Union, stating that the organization did not intervene at the right moment to ensure fairness in the competition.
This incident only exacerbated the already tense situation surrounding refereeing at the 2026 Olympics and once again called into question the consistency of the interpretation of rules in short track.
