A YOUNG woman volunteer has reportedly been banned from the Italian army for being too fat. The 1.65m tall 21-year-old, identified only by her first name, Francesca, weighs in at 78.5 kilos. She was considered unsuitable for the army as that was "incompatible with the parametres of physical aptitude of military service".
| "She's a spicey young-a meat-boll!" |
Francesca told an administrative tribunal in the central coastal city of Ancona that she had passed her first army medical, but then put on weight during her first 10 months of training due to the stodgy food served. But her argument did not hold weight with the court, which said that she had failed to lose her surplus kilos during a convalescence period given her by the military to go on a diet. Her lawyer said she was not going to take the matter lightly and would appeal.
| The results of the appeal could weigh heavily on the Italian army... |
He said that for Francesca, who hails from Catania in Sicily, "the army was her choice of lifestyle and a work opportunity. I don’t think that all the military you come across in Italy have perfect figures." The woman joined the Ascoli Piceno regiment near Anconi in 2001. |