The situation arose during the race when Italian Pietro Sighel collided with Canadian Maxime Laoun, resulting in Sighel falling onto the ice due to Laoun's overtaking attempt. After the race, the judges reviewed the incident, but instead of reinstating the Italian in the results, they decided to disqualify him.
This decision sparked an outcry from the Italian delegation. The Italian Sports Federation filed an official protest, pointing out the "contradictory and inconsistent decisions" made by the referee who officiated the competition.
In its statement, the federation noted that similar concerns were shared by coaches and members of other national teams. The Italian side also expressed dissatisfaction with the actions of the International Skating Union, which, in their opinion, failed to take measures to ensure fairness during the competition.
This incident added tension to the discussions about refereeing at the 2026 Olympics and once again called into question the consistency of rule interpretation in short track.
