Italian Paralympic rower Giacomo Perini was disqualified and stripped of his bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Games after forgetting to remove his cell phone from his boat, violating competition rules.
Bollywood Fever: Italian Paralympic rower Giacomo Perini has been stripped of his bronze medal from the Paris 2024 Games after a disqualification that stemmed from what many are calling a small but costly mistake.
The 28-year-old athlete was disqualified from the PR1 Men’s Single Sculls event for using an illegal device—his cell phone—which he allegedly forgot to remove from his boat before the race.
According to officials, the presence of the phone constituted a violation of Rule 28 and Appendix R2, Bye-Law to Rule 28, which prohibits the use of communication devices during the race.
World Rowing confirmed the disqualification in a statement posted to Instagram on Sunday, September 1, stating, “In the final of the PR1 M1x, the ITA PR1 MRX was found to be using communications equipment during the race, in breach of Rule 28 and Appendix R2, Bye-Law to Rule 28. As a result, the crew has been excluded from the event and will be ranked last.”
The Italian Rowing Federation responded swiftly, expressing their disappointment and clarifying that Perini’s disqualification was due to the accidental oversight of leaving his phone on the boat. “After a historic and highly competitive competition, ending with an exciting third place and a bronze medal, while everyone was celebrating the achievement, the Jury was excluded from the Paralympic podium of the PR1 single for this reason,” read the Federation’s statement.
The Federation also mentioned that they had submitted an official claim, providing records from Perini’s phone to demonstrate that the device was not used during the race.
However, their appeal was rejected by the Board of Jury. The Federation is now preparing to challenge the decision with the Executive Board of World Rowing.
In a separate statement on their website, the Italian Rowing Federation noted that the judge “noticed the presence of the smartphone” after the race, and emphasized that Perini “had inadvertently forgotten to put down” the phone.
The statement reiterated that the exclusion was due to regulations prohibiting any instruments capable of communicating with the outside world being present on the boat during the competition.
As a result of Perini’s disqualification, Australian rower Erik Horrie was promoted to third place, earning the bronze medal. Roman Polianskyi of Ukraine moved up to take the silver medal, while Team Great Britain’s Benjamin Pritchard secured the gold.
“There was a situation that happened,” Horrie told Nine. “World Rowing and Paralympics officials saw it and then made the decision [to disqualify Perini] and I was lucky enough to come away with the bronze. That’s all I can say really. It’s the joys of sport. There are rules, and as athletes, we stick to them.”
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the strict regulations governing sports competitions and how even a seemingly minor oversight can have significant consequences. Perini’s disqualification highlights the importance of meticulous preparation and adherence to rules, especially at the highest levels of competition.
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