Cortina d'Ampezzo (Belluno), 13 February (LaPresse) – "In recent days, some of my comments have been reported that have caused a lot of discussion, particularly some passages about Arianna. I want to be clear: my reasoning was broader and focused on the team's technical progress in recent years. When I said that the group had grown “without Arianna”, I was referring to the fact that she trained abroad for years and therefore spent limited time with the team. In this context, we athletes were still able to find our own identity and solidity, which made us competitive. I did not mean to belittle anyone, nor was it a personal attack. Arianna is a champion and has made history in Italian short track. Her medals have given visibility and credibility to the whole movement. This is a fact, and she proved it again last night with her 13th Olympic medal. When someone achieves these goals, they deserve applause. I never meant to be disrespectful, although my words, as they were reported, may have suggested otherwise.‘ Pietro Sighel returned to the words he had expressed in recent days about Arianna Fontana (’Who knows her? We're not a team with her"). ‘On the track, we are professionals, but off the track, everyone follows their own path. And when competing for Italy, we are all on the same side,’ he added. ‘Those who know me know that on the track, I give my all for Italy and for the team. Tomorrow, I will go back to doing what I do best: competing.’