Angelica di Silvestri

Angelica Morrone di Silvestri (born November 25, 1965[1] in Cosenza, Italy[2]) is a cross-country skier who competed for Dominica at the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Cross-country skiing race.[3] Her Olympic appearance is widely controversial, after it was exposed that di Silvestri, and her husband Gary di Silvestri, paid to become Dominica citizens and lied to media outlets about various aspects of their lives.[4]

Angelica di Silvestri
Personal information
Birth nameAngelica Morrone
BornNovember 25, 1965 (1965-11-25) (age 54)
Cosenza, Italy
Medal record
Cross-country skiing
Representing  Dominica

Early life and business career

Di Silvestri has been accused of being a "tax dodger" by Deadspin, after it was revealed that prosecutors in Turks and Caicos Islands have linked the pair to a massive tax-fraud case related to the sale of Emerald Cay, a mansion di Silvestri and Morrone built on their own island.[5]

Disputed background

The website Deadspin published an additional investigative article that disputed multiple aspects of di Silvestri's background.[6]

The couple told various media outlets they were awarded citizenship through "philanthropic activities", but declined to elaborate. It was later revealed that any married couple can become Dominicans by depositing $175,000 "into the appropriate account at the National Commercial Bank of Dominica," and paying the Ministry of Finance another $3,530 in tariffs and fees.[6]

When confronted by various media outlets about their questionable claims, di Silvestri did not respond to inquiries or declined comment.[7]

Questionable qualification

U-T San Diego also published an article questioning the couple's qualification process for the games.[8] Skiers earn the points by competing in qualifying races, which the couple gained by entering lower level tournaments in New Zealand and across North America. Gary finished last in four of six races and Angelica finished in the bottom three in 13 of the 14 races she participated in.

Gary still met the standard, but Angelica was in danger of missing out until she went to a small competition for college students in Maine. The report states she only finished in 74th place out of 95 finishers in the freestyle race, but that was still enough to get her point total under the Olympic threshold.

Athletic career

Gary di Silvestri competed along with his wife, Angelica, during the 2014 Games. However, neither was able to complete their respective races.[9] Gary was one of four competitors to not finish his 15 km event[9] (there was also one non-starter). Of the four skiers who did not finish, Gary was the only one to not manage to make it to the first checkpoint (at 2.2 km). Angelica didn't even show up for the 10K women's classic on Feb. 13, claiming injury. (She was the only one of the race's 76 entrants who didn't start).

See also

References
  1. FIS Biography
  2. Sochi 2014 Profile
  3. "Bend XC coach named Dominica Nordic Ski Team head coach". KTVZ. 16 January 2014. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  4. "Gary, Angelica Di Silvestri's Timeline as Controversial Dominica Olympic Skiers". Bleacher Report. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  5. McKenna, Dave (13 February 2014). "Do Dominica's Adorable Skiers Deserve A Gold Medal In Tax Dodging?". Deadspin. Univision Communications. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  6. McKenna, Dave (24 February 2014). "Dominica's Fake Ski Team Scammed The Olympics And The Press". Deadspin. Univision Communications. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  7. "Staten Island man, 46, and wife will ski for Dominica at Sochi Olympics". NBC Sports. 23 January 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  8. "Did Dominica couple game the Games?". U-T San Diego. 22 February 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  9. Dominica News Online
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