An Olympic medallist slammed their own federation despite getting on the podium at the event in Milan and Cortina.
Stefania Constantini represented Italy in curling at the showpiece and competed in the mixed doubles event on Tuesday, bagging a bronze medal alongside partner Amos Mosaner.
The two finished behind Isabella Wrana and Rasmus Wrana of Sweden and silver medallists Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin from the USA, beating Great Britain to claim Bronze.
While there were smiles on the podium for the official medal ceremony, skip Constantini proceeded to make her feelings clear afterwards when speaking to media as she commented on the controversial decision to drop her regular partner Angela Romei from the women's team.
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The pair are long-time teammates and have been for nearly a decade, with Romei competing in multiple world and European championships and considered to be an important part of the team.
However, the 28-year-old was surprisingly omitted from the Olympic squad and after picking up a medal, Constantini spoke out about the situation after going to the stands to hug Romei - who has instead been working as a commentator.
"Throughout the whole week, my best friend and teammate Angela Romei commentated on our matches," Constantini said, speaking to reporters.
"I would have liked to share next week's Olympic experience with her, but that won’t be the case.
"I will carry her in my heart. That gesture was meant to dedicate my victory not only to my boyfriend and my family, but also to her. She supported me from start to finish."
She continued:
"For our team, it (Romei's exclusion) was a moment to remember. But we are ready, and we recognise the importance of this major event".
"Tomorrow we will have the opportunity to test the ice together, and we will certainly come together again as a group at the end of the competition."
The decision to leave Romei off the team is particularly controversial as she was replaced by Rebecca Mariani, the daughter of the Italy's technical director Marco.
She had attempted to appeal and overturn the decision by involving the Court of Arbitration for Sport, feeling as though there was favouritism and bias.
However she was subsequently unsuccessful and learned of the outcome on Sunday. The Italian federation told Reuters that the decision was nothing other than a "technical" one.
In the women's event, Constantini will lead Italy into a round-robin match against Switzerland on Thursday. If successful, the semi finals take place on 20 February before the bronze and gold medal games in the days that follow.
Topics: Olympics
Josh Lawless