Industry News
A disturbing investigation that rocked the Nordic skiing community has concluded in Verona, Italy, with two plea deals in court. A 36-year-old Army sergeant who coached a team affiliated with the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI), and a 20-year-old skier, have accepted suspended prison sentences of one year and three months, and 10 months respectively, along with fines of €6,000 and €4,000.
The two were found responsible for spreading sexually explicit images of underage female athletes in a team WhatsApp chat, which was made up largely of teenage boys. Investigators say the images—some of which were originally shared privately with boys the girls were dating—were later redistributed in the team’s official group chat, where they were accompanied by racist messages and graphic photomontages of Adolf Hitler. Other nude or sexually-implicit images were taken while underage female athletes were changing in the locker rooms, or secretly filmed during training sessions.
According to the prosecution, the coach encouraged team members to take and repost the explicit images, allegedly promising rewards such as competition spots in exchange. An additional 12 athletes between the ages of 19 and 21 were facing court, of which six were acquitted, four were sanctioned with a warning, and two disqualified for a month for having “published photos and videos of athletes or made inappropriate and/or offensive comments.” Both the coach and the skier charged were found guilty of unlawful distribution of sexually explicit content involving minors and with promoting hate speech on the basis of race, ethnicity, and religion.
One message shared in the chat reportedly read, “A n****r in a ditch is always a good morning,” sparking outrage and drawing attention to a culture of racism and misogyny within the team. The coach’s military affiliation—he holds the rank of sergeant in the Italian Army—has only deepened public concern. The scandalous chat was discovered when a concerned youth athlete shared screenshots with his parents. The FISI Regional Committee became aware of the chat in March 2023 and shut it down immediately, fired the coach, and launched three separate cases against the coach: a criminal, a military, as well as a sports one. The military courts dismissed the proceedings, while the sports court banned the coach from coaching for six months.
While the suspended sentences by the criminal court allow both men to avoid prison time for now, any further offenses could lead to incarceration. The case has raised urgent questions about athlete safety, team culture in youth sports, and the failure of oversight within competitive winter sports environments.
