Despite all the denials it is clear that Flavio
Tebaldi kicked Tullio off the Italian team going to the 2011 Worlds because
something in the June 22nd
article that I wrote
about the Italian team selection process offended him. In addition,
Tullio's article on
June 23rd reaffirms that it was something in my article that offended Flavio.

It is almost impossible for me to believe that Flavio would kick a
top ranked and highly skilled pilot off the team because of something the pilot
said. What does
it matter what I or Tullio think about how the Italians select their team?

What explains why Flavio
is willing to commit this shameful act? Was the
article the last straw after he was offended by something else Tullio did
(Tullio says in his article that he sent around emails to other pilots), but not
offended enough to keep this top pilot off the team in the first place? (Flavio
selected Tullio to be on the Italian team the day before my article, then he was
pulled from the team hours after my article came out.)

I wrote a complete
apology to Tullio for getting him kicked off the team hoping in some small
way to right a wrong and get this matter straightened out and Tullio back on the
team.

Since Flavio pulled Tullio from the team there has continued to be
a back and forth effort
to get Tullio restored to the team. It appeared for a while that Flavio
might relent and do the right thing, put Tullio back in his rightful spot. But,
after ten days without a choice being displayed on the Worlds' pilot list he has
now appointed the ninth ranked Italian pilot as the last pilot flying for Italy.

So the obvious questions arise. If Tullio met the subjective criteria to be on
the Italian team the day before my article came out (an Italian team pilot
thinks that these may be
the criteria), how is it that he didn't meet those criteria hours after my
article came out? Flavio stated to me personally on June 23rd that, "Tullio is
one of the best Italian pilots and I know very well his skills." If he met those
criteria at all times, what caused Flavio to pull him from the team?

Flavio also wrote to me on June 24th, "Now I'm thinking about his coming back on
the team, but.... We will see." Then no communication between Flavio and I after
the 24th until Sunday, the 3rd, when I wrote to him asking him to explain his
side of the story (and not for the first time) and he refused to do so. What
explains this?

It is my opinion that Flavio has brought great shame to the Italian team by his
actions with respect to Tullio and should reverse himself.