Italian Olympians 'insulted' by torch relay snub

"There is no respect for us champions," cross-country skier Silvio Fauner, a five-time Olympic medallist, told Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview that echoed earlier complaints by Alpine skier Kristian Ghedina about the relay, which began in Rome on December 4. Fauner complained that quiz show celebrity Gabriele Sbatella, known as the Uomo Gato (Cat Man), had been prefered. "I consider this an incredible insult," said Fauner, who won gold as a member of the Italian relay team in Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994.