Athlete Safety Moves to Top of Agenda
The 25-year-old Italian athlete did not recover from a head injury and resulting cerebral edema, which happened after a fall last weekend in Chile.
He fell on the first small jump on the La Parva training course and was thrown forward toward the fences.
He skied over two rows of nets and hit the fence positioned 6-7 meters from the course.
He was taken by air ambulance to Santiago hospital, admitted to the intensive care unit and placed in a medically induced coma.
We reported on the accident at the time.
Franzoso is the third Italian skier to die in less than a year.
Then in March, Marco Degli Uomini, who was 18, died while testing the course for a regional children’s race.
A month later, Margot Simond, who was a promising 18-year-old French skier, died in a training crash, too.
“One thing is clear: the pursuit of performance must never eclipse the priority of safety,” said a statement from the International Ski & Snowboard Federation, FIS.
“It is not possible to eliminate the inherent dangers of alpine skiing, but – by listening, by raising awareness, and by fostering dialogue that leads to collective action we can mitigate the risks.”
The latest tragedy comes less than five months before the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and has propelled ski athlete safety to the top of the agenda.
“In the coming weeks, FIS will further intensify dialogue with its stakeholders, always with a single guiding principle: the well-being and safety of athletes must come first.”
For the Milan-Cortina Games in February, men’s skiing will be held in Bormio and women’s skiing will be held in Cortina.
We post the full statement from FIS at the end of this article.
Skiing in Italy. Image © PlanetSKI
The Italian Winter Sports Federation, FISI, has moved swiftly and has already approved steps to strengthen safety in alpine skiing.
FISI has adopted a two-tiered strategy and will ask FIS to build and fund a global network of training slopes.
Each slope must include layered netting, on-site medical teams, and helicopter access.
All national teams must train on these courses.
Domestically, Italy will follow the same standards.
The Federation will designate and upgrade slopes for every level, from World Cup athletes to ski clubs.
FISI will cover the costs with support from the Italian Ministry of Sport.
The push also includes calls to equipment and protective gear manufacturers to accelerate innovation aimed at reducing athlete risk.
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In recreational skiing Italy is a leading nation in alpine safety.
The country has made ski helmets compulsory for all skiers, snowboarders and slope users next season.
It also has tough rules and regulation about skiing off piste and having third party liability insurance.
Skiing in the Aosta Valley. Image © PlanetSKI
This coming season all World Cup skiers will be required to wear protective air-bag systems under their racing suits for downhill and super-G races.
Cut-resistant underwear will be compulsory for all alpine events.
This season’s World Cup circuit opens on the Rettenbach glacier in Sölden, Austria, at the end of October.
FIS Statement in Full
“The International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) is deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Italian alpine skier Matteo Franzoso following a fall during training in Chile.
Our heartfelt thoughts are with his family, friends, teammates, and the entire Italian ski community as they mourn this devastating loss.
Moments like this bring into sharp focus the profound risks that are an inseparable part of our sport.
They also remind us of the shared responsibility we all carry – athletes, coaches, organizers, associations, and governing bodies alike – to do everything within our means to reduce those risks.
One thing is clear: the pursuit of performance must never eclipse the priority of safety.
It is not possible to eliminate the inherent dangers of alpine skiing, but – by listening, by raising awareness, and by fostering dialogue that leads to collective action we can mitigate the risks.
However, together with National Ski Associations, Local Organizing Committees, coaches, partners, and above all, the athletes themselves, we must identify where risks are greatest, addressing systemic challenges, and supporting a culture in which safety is integral to every decision.
Safe training conditions and safeguarding competitions requires not only awareness but also a firm and collective commitment across the entire ski family.
Only by acting together can we create the conditions where safety is not compromised.
Through the Athletes Health Unit (AHU), FIS is reinforcing a scientific and systematic approach to athlete wellbeing, one that will continue to grow in depth and scope in close cooperation with our partners.
Here we are pursuing the state of the art in innovation with airbags and electronic release bindings as well as helmet technology to withstand multiple impacts.
In the coming weeks, FIS will further intensify dialogue with its stakeholders, always with a single guiding principle: the wellbeing and safety of athletes must come first.”
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