The new course of gymnastics

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The photograph of the day is in a few blunt words. “Teams change, certainties collapse, others are built”, says Fabrizia D'Ottavio. “It is a period of change for all of Italian gymnastics. And we are making ourselves ready”, leading in the aggregate medal table – artistic plus rhythmic – at the European Championships of the category just held in Leipzig and Tallinn. With a gold in the team ranking, the first ever for the Blue Butterflies: after the technical-managerial upheavals of recent months – and the accompanying media storm –, it was time for the platform to speak again. And its protagonists. Of today and yesterday: D'Ottavio, Olympic silver in Athens 2004, in March became the only female vice president in the history of the Fgi. A figure of connection between managers and athletes, between multiple worlds and generations. In the most delicate moment to connect.

“As a former gymnast, having lived certain experiences first-hand can give girls more confidence and peace of mind,” she tells Foglio sportivo. “A natural feeling is created. A clear and spontaneous channel of communication, regardless of character compatibility. Everyone knows that they will be understood on the other side. It helps them to have an institutional profile that knows what they are feeling. And for me it is a constant challenge to try to capture those looks, those silences, those training dynamics, to get to the heart of a problem sooner.” Fabrizia is now 40 years old, she stopped competing in 2008 and since then she has concentrated on the family business. Hoops and clubs are far away. “Putting sport back at the center is the most interesting way to relive it from another point of view. And to understand many things that as an athlete - when you ran with blinkers: performance, results, work - interest you little. Instead, understanding the commitment of others and what happens behind the scenes is an enormous enrichment. Never underestimate it”.

During the chat, a name always hovers, which at a certain point comes up: Emanuela Maccarani. Technical director of the National team for almost thirty years, in the name of extraordinary sporting achievements. But also at the center of a delicate legal case, which will see her go to trial for alleged mistreatment of some of her former athletes. In the meantime, she had also led the Farfalle in Paris, to the world championship bronze. Only after the installation of the new leaders - with Andrea Facci president and D'Ottavio vice -, the Federginnastica then unanimously decided not to continue the relationship with Maccarani. Amid a thousand controversies and accusations from the same. "I have worked with her for my entire career", Fabrizia now reflects. "I have achieved certain results together with her team. And like me, many others. The facts speak for themselves: she remains a technically highly prepared person. And a person who has led Italy to undertake an important growth path, building a real school", in the prestigious headquarters of Desio. “Entering the Academy is never easy. Family certainties are broken, routine is lost, enormous workloads take over. It takes a head: you train, you get into gear, you do it. In addition to her skills, Emanuela always said that a coach is not a mother: you have to know how to differentiate. And at the same time demand from the athletes the commitment that top-level sport requires”. But? “I have already spoken about the situation that has arisen in the appropriate places”, explains the former student, without however avoiding questions. “ At the same time, I have always believed in the incorrectness of some training methodologies. I am aware, based on my experience as a gymnast, that there were several things that were not right. And that therefore in some way they had to be reviewed, modified. To guarantee a better type of work, not so much from a performance point of view, but in terms of context and quality of life of the people”.

These are words that carry weight because D'Ottavio is a super partes voice: on the one hand, she comes from that group of managers that Maccarani accused of dark despotism – “There is a plan behind it that is much bigger than me,” she also told this newspaper –, on the other, she represents the athletes. Indeed, more, given that the coach had led her to the podium in Athens. An experience that Fabrizia still remembers today as “the greatest I have ever had: when you enter the Olympic village for the first time, you realize that you are part of something extraordinary, you really realize that you have made it. It is a fundamental awareness, even before the medal”. Adrenaline that is passed down, because two of the Butterflies awarded in Paris 2024 – Martina Centofanti and Daniela Mogurean – have instead decided to say goodbye to rhythmic gymnastics following Maccarani's dismissal (and thanking her heartily). The matter is complex. “No one here claims to have the absolute truth in their pocket,” D'Ottavio orders. “Everyone reads their own experience in their own way. With their personality, their sensitivity and the related filters. In my case I have a thought, rather shared: we can only put together the experiences of many people and take into account the specific attitudes upstream. Which really shouldn't be there. It is inherent in the competitive athlete to be strong, to build a psychophysical armor and to dodge every type of attack. It is not a given that if a person reacts calmly to certain mechanisms, then deep down they will not suffer from them. You train to shield yourself, you learn to withstand the blows and you move forward. But all the surrounding things exist.”

And Federginnastica, which is the crux of the matter, has the duty to protect. “Some people have suffered more than others. It is important to underline that even if someone has a less serious perception of what happened, this should not diminish the negative feelings of others. Instead, this dynamic has often been found: those who suffered were accused of not having objective reasons,” the vice president points out. “ Balance is needed, respect for every experience. And awareness of the triggering factor: legal decisions are up to others, we have been called to tell our story in a transparent way. And on the ethical side, we are working for the good of gymnastics . We want the sector to continue to grow, to teach, putting girls in the best possible conditions. As a former athlete, I want this too. According to the right mix between managers and technicians, between experience and innovation.”

In Desio, a new page is being turned, without upsetting the course of history. “We are in the middle of the competition season: the atmosphere is positive, with all the preconditions for a high-level project – now entrusted to Mariela Pashalieva, the new coach of the Farfalle – towards the Olympic four-year period. There is breathing space, there is freedom, there is amplitude of movement”. With the doors of the Academy – at the end of May, close to the European Championships – open for a day to all the students of tomorrow. “A great occasion for celebration: this is a magical place for all the gymnasts in Italy. We want it to be as much as possible for everyone. And in the meantime, team up: sport is cyclical, the new generations need to be prepared”. And Fabrizia’s, on the other hand? “I would always be ready to put on my leotard and get on the floor: I envy the girls of today the technology, the social networks, the possibility of framing so many memories that we, on the contrary, had to select carefully”. She returned to Panathinaiko in Athens last summer with her teammates, twenty years after that feat. “An obligatory post. And a tear. But that’s okay: it’s also nice to move on to observation. And to give something back to the sport that I love and that has given me so much.” Until directing its future.

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