CICO 2014, rules are made and changed on the fly: what do you think?

A few hours ago we wrote the report of the 2014 CICO (the Italian Championship of Olympic Classes): the races were staged in Loano (Savona) and Riva del Garda (Trento). We wrote that due to the bad weather that brought Liguria to its knees, not all classes in Loano were able to complete the number of tests necessary for the awarding of titles: specifically the 470, Finn and 2.4 mR classes, which with two trials completed over four days did not reach the required trials limit, by regulation four.

We learned a short while ago through the FIV press office that thanks to an exception to the regulations that popped up last night (without giving timely notice, not even to the press office itself), it was decided to award the titles in the various classes anyway. An Italian story: we make the rules and then change them on the fly. Moreover, creating a precedent that will now be flaunted at the first available opportunity. Let us know what you think. Meanwhile, we congratulate all the Italian Champions, who proved on the field that they deserved their respective victories.

ALL RESULTS
The Italian Olympic Classes Championships, which this year were staged concurrently in Loano (Savona), where Nacra 17, 49er, 49er FX, 470, Finn and 2.4 competed, and Riva del Garda (Trento, Italy), a battleground for Laser Standard and Radial, have concluded.

LOANO
In Loano, uncertainty and unpredictable weather conditions (which are literally bringing Liguria to its knees) reigned throughout the event: the titles went to Francesco Porro and Caterina Marianna Banti of Circolo Canottieri Aniene among the Nacra 17 (second were Francesco Sabatini-Marcella Mamusa and third were David Bondì-Laura Marimon, all from CC Aniene), at Uberto Crivelli Visconti and Gianmarco Togni of Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia among the 49ers (second Jacopo Plazzi-Umberto Molineris of CC Aniene and third Giorgio and Francesco Pantzarzis of Circolo della Vela Bari), to Ottavia Raggio and Paola Bergamaschi of Circolo Velico La Spezia among the 49er FX (second were Giulia Genesio and Francesca Volpi of Circolo Nautico Loano and third were Martina Castagna and Lucia Miani of Fraglia Vela Riva), to Antonio Squizzato of Canottieri Garda Salò in the men’s 2.4 mR (second Angelo Boscolo of CV Faro Piave Vecchia and third Nicola Redavid of LNI Milan), to Scarlett Mengascini of ASD Liberi nel vento in the women’s 2.4 mR (second Elena Polo D’Ambrosio of LNI Milan and third Giovanna Ghidetti of Club del Mare Diano Marina), to George Poggi of the Yellow Flames in the Finn (second Filippo Baldassari of the Yellow Flames and third Alessandro Vongher of CN San Vincenzo). Italian titles also for Elena Berta and Giulia Paolillo of CC Aniene in the women’s 470 (second Roberta Caputo-Alice Sinno of CC Aniene and third as well as first Juniors Cecilia Zorzi-Bianca Caruso of Circolo Vela Arco) and to Francesco Rebaudi-Matteo Ramian of the Italian Yacht Club in the men’s 470 (second Niccolò Bertola-Jacopo Izzo of the Air Force and third Gabrio Zandonà-Andrea Trani of the Navy).

AT RIVA DEL GARDA
Like last year, the Italian Champions are Francesco Marrai of the Fiamme Gialle among the Laser Standard and Silvia Zennaro of the Compagnia della Vela di Venezia among the Radial. In the Standard class, Alessio Spadoni (CC Aniene) made a great start to the last day by winning the first race (the sixth of the championship) ahead of Robert Scheidt (CV Torbole), while Enrico Strazzera (YC Cagliari) ran into a black flag at the start. In this first round of the day, Francesco Marrai finished in fourth place behind Hungary’s Benjamin Vadnai. With a decreasing wind, the second trial featured a nice duel between Scheidt and Marrai, a scene seen many times during these championships. The Brazilian champion prevailed and won the last event ahead of Marrai, securing first place overall, but the Yellow Flames athlete won his fourth Italian Laser Standard title, his second consecutive.

Alessio Spadoni finished second after having a good championship, sinning only in a bit of regularity, while Enrico Strazzera was third after a last day to forget (a disqualification and an 18th). In the Radial class, the overall winner was Lithuanian Gintare Scheidt of CV Torbole, despite a less brilliant final day than other days. With a win in today’s first race and an eighth-place finish, Silvia Zennaro of Compagnia della Vela of Venice won her second consecutive Italian title (after five national titles in the Europa class). In second place Joyce Floridia (Fraglia Vela Riva) completed her comeback by overtaking Turkey’s Donertas and Martha Faraguna (Yacht Club Adriaco), who had to settle for third place. Also awarded were the Under-21 titles, which went to Zeno Gregorin of the Oscar Cosulich Sailing Society (second to Simone Salvá of Circolo Nautico Brenzone and third to Rocco Cislaghi of Planet Sail Bracciano) among the Standard, and to Joyce Floridia ahead of Martha Faraguna and Valentina Balbi of the Italian Yacht Club.