CASE STUDY ITALIAN NATIONAL RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS TEAM The Italian national rhythmic gymnastics team is made up of a group of ten gymnasts (five regulars and five substitutes) who take part in international competitions including world cups, European championships, world championships, and Olympic Games. Both individual gymnasts and junior and senior teams are placed under the jurisdiction of the Italian Gymnastics Federation (FGI). The gymnasts of the national team wear the colours of the Air Force Sports Group . History The Italian team section of FIG was created in 1960, when the first team competitions were held during international events. The first coach of the team was Maria Rosa Rosato, who trained the gymnasts for their Olympic debut at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. Italy had always presented excellent athletes in rhythmic gymnastics in international competitions but most of the time the podium had been missed. In fact, Italy s history in this sport is characterised by numerous fourth places. Things changed at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, where gymnast Elisa Bianchi won the silver medal and, a year later, the gold at Baku World Championships. Since then, the Italian team has always achieved brilliant results, with champions such as Milena Baldassarri, Julieta Cantaluppi, and Sofia Raffaeli. 4 The Butterflies Since 2004, after their first Olympic silver, the members of the Italian team have used the nickname Butterflies . The origin of the nickname can be attributed to a journalist who, after having watched the team training in Turin, wrote [...] they have the same drive, the same enthusiasm and the virtue of knowing how to sacrifice oneself in silence to become, in just three and a half minutes, something between a butterfly and an athlete . The abuses In 2022 some gymnasts in the team denounced the enormous pressures, insults, and humiliations they suffered inside the academy to meet the weight parameters of the Italian national rhythmic team. After investigations, the technical director of the team was suspended for 11 months. Answer the questions. 1. Who makes up the Italian national rhythmic gymnastics team? 2. When was the team created? 3. Who is Maria Rosa Rosato? 4. Who is Elisa Bianchi? 5. Why are the Italian gymnasts called butterflies ? 6. What did some gymnasts denounce in 2022? 100 TO DO Both the Italian national rhythmic and artistic gymnastics teams belong to the Air Force Sports Group.