Ski Racers Meet FIS After Injuries Force More Out Of Olympics
Ski Racers Meet FIS After Injuries Force More Out Of Olympics
Published : 19-Dec-2009 08:25
A run of serious injuries in recent World Cup races has knocked several leading skiers out of the coming Winter Olympics, including the current defending downhill world champion, ahead of a scheduled meeting this week between downhill racers and International Ski Federation (FIS) officials in Val Gardena, Italy.Racers Didier Cuche, Michael Walchhofer, Scott MaCartney, Marco Büchel, Werner Heel and Aksel Lund Svindal had what was described by the FIS as, "a productive meeting," this week. The athletes presented some points that they think are important for the development and safety of Alpine Ski Racing. The FIS representatives Günther Hujara, Helmut Schmalzl and Mike Kertesz listened to what the athletes presented.
The Canadian team has been particularly hard hit, although athlete from several countries are out of the Olympics. John Kucera, the defending downhill world champion, broke his leg at Lake Louise in November, while teammate Jean-Philippe Roy injured his right knee during World Cup men's action last week in Val d'Isere. Other Canadian team members due to miss the Olympics following crashes in Val d'Isere include Kelly VanderBeek who crashed during World Cup training on Thursday and Larisa Yurkiw who injured herself earlier in the week.
"This is a heartbreaking situation for the athletes, their families and all their supporters," Alpine Canada president Gary Allan told Canadian media.
"The Canadian team is not alone, almost all major ski racing nations have been affected by injuries this year," said Allan. "We were pleased to see the International Ski Federation taking the injury situation seriously, including meeting with athletes and coaches this week in Val Gardena, Italy. We look forward to impactful change occurring to help reduce the number of injuries occurring in our sport."
This Val Gardena meeting represented a continuation of the two meetings with the athletes on the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup tour initiated during the 2008/09 season in Val Gardena and Alta Badia. This time around, the Alpine male representatives on the newly elected FIS Athletes' Commission – Kilian Albrecht (Chair, BUL), Ivica Kostelic (CRO) for the men; Anja Pärson (SWE) and Marie Marchand-Arvier (FRA) for the women – facilitated the meeting, also selecting the participants and organizing the logistics.
Issues highlighted by the athletes includes Jumps, saying it is important that takeoff points are made easy to spot, and that there is a smooth preparation of the snow right before the takeoff. Flat landings must be avoided in the future.
In terms of speed control the athletes said turns do not automatically reduce speed. The combination of course setting and course preparation determines the speed. Smooth course means that the racers carry higher speed through turns.
For gate panels/gates the athletes believe it is important that panels are made to rip off easier in speed events.
For racing suits the athletes said there is a need to look for new technology in race suits and personal safety equipment. The question whether there should be one manufacturer for all teams of race suits needs to be investigated.
For course inspection racers suggested the inspection should be divided in to two groups so it's easier for them to inspect the line. Also coaches, media and others should not block the racers' view. Line inspection is a major safety issue for athletes.
For skis, bindings, boots and plates athletes say that if there is going to be a change in the rules for equipment, it should only be done after serious investigation by all stakeholders. Making the skis wider was most likely a mistake according to the athletes present. It is also time to proactively promote further development of safe bindings that open on impact. Since the bindings have developed little in the last 20 years, additional safety enhancements should be possible.
Athletes would like to see one professional medical team following the entire World Cup.
In terms of travel planning racers said that with athletes coming from different time zones/continents, there should be enough time to prepare fully before the next race.
Finally, the athletes feel that the course setting and preparation of the race hill are factors that should be possible to change at short notice. However, when it comes to equipment changes and changes in the protocol around races, these should be understood as long-term changes.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc
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