Igor Cassina to Sue Manufacturer of Faulty Gymnastics Equipment

Italian newspaper La Repubblica reports that 2004 Olympic horizontal bar champion Igor Cassina is planning to sue an unnamed manufacturer of gymnastics equipment which he says caused him to get injured and miss two months' training before the Olympics.


Igor Cassina in Beijing, where he finished fourth on his signature event
(photo: Getty Images)

According to the Repubblica article, Cassina suffered a training accident in December 2007, eight months before the Beijing Olympics. "When I was hanging from a bar, three meters up in the air, a steel cable which supported the structure broke, and I fell," Cassina stated. The fall resulted in damage to his lower torso, a dislocated right shoulder, and a large hematoma in his right elbow. "I had to stay immobile for two months before being able to resume training," said Cassina. He is certain that the lack of training over half a year before the Olympics contributed to his failure to successfully defend his title in Beijing.

"I have asked the judge of the Desio court to appoint a technical adviser to assess how the accident may have affected my client's performances," said Cassina's lawyer, Giovanni Albanese.

We'll be interested to see how this case is resolved. Are there any precedents for this kind of case?