The Fort Worth Press - Pinturault's Kitzbuehel crash again highlights ski risks

USD -
AED 3.673042
AFN 72.04561
ALL 90.426454
AMD 393.432155
ANG 1.790208
AOA 916.000367
ARS 1081.039361
AUD 1.654807
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.70397
BAM 1.784082
BBD 2.031653
BDT 122.253136
BGN 1.786375
BHD 0.376648
BIF 2990.649943
BMD 1
BND 1.345222
BOB 6.952794
BRL 5.844604
BSD 1.006157
BTN 85.842645
BWP 14.014139
BYN 3.292862
BYR 19600
BZD 2.021163
CAD 1.42275
CDF 2873.000362
CHF 0.861746
CLF 0.0249
CLP 955.539339
CNY 7.28155
CNH 7.295041
COP 4181.710376
CRC 509.007982
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 100.583808
CZK 23.045604
DJF 179.18358
DKK 6.808204
DOP 63.5439
DZD 133.249715
EGP 50.555986
ERN 15
ETB 132.622212
EUR 0.91245
FJD 2.314904
FKP 0.774531
GBP 0.776488
GEL 2.750391
GGP 0.774531
GHS 15.595895
GIP 0.774531
GMD 71.503851
GNF 8707.867731
GTQ 7.765564
GYD 210.508552
HKD 7.77455
HNL 25.744128
HRK 6.871704
HTG 131.657925
HUF 370.410388
IDR 16745
ILS 3.74336
IMP 0.774531
INR 85.53285
IQD 1318.129989
IRR 42100.000352
ISK 132.170386
JEP 0.774531
JMD 158.686431
JOD 0.708904
JPY 146.93504
KES 130.052452
KGS 86.768804
KHR 4028.278221
KMF 450.503794
KPW 900.000008
KRW 1459.510383
KWD 0.30779
KYD 0.838495
KZT 510.166477
LAK 21794.298746
LBP 90155.803877
LKR 298.335234
LRD 201.240593
LSL 19.187412
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.866591
MAD 9.582851
MDL 17.779704
MGA 4665.906499
MKD 56.132269
MMK 2099.341751
MNT 3508.091945
MOP 8.055188
MRU 40.127708
MUR 44.670378
MVR 15.403739
MWK 1744.766249
MXN 20.436704
MYR 4.437039
MZN 63.910377
NAD 19.187412
NGN 1532.820377
NIO 37.026226
NOK 10.768404
NPR 137.348233
NZD 1.787151
OMR 0.384721
PAB 1.006249
PEN 3.697332
PGK 4.15325
PHP 57.385038
PKR 282.466317
PLN 3.899545
PYG 8066.59065
QAR 3.667868
RON 4.542038
RSD 106.86431
RUB 84.834664
RWF 1450.034208
SAR 3.752488
SBD 8.316332
SCR 14.340707
SDG 600.503676
SEK 9.992304
SGD 1.345604
SHP 0.785843
SLE 22.750371
SLL 20969.501083
SOS 575.051311
SRD 36.646504
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.804561
SYP 13001.836564
SZL 19.194527
THB 34.412038
TJS 10.95252
TMT 3.5
TND 3.081231
TOP 2.342104
TRY 37.964804
TTD 6.815964
TWD 33.177504
TZS 2691.721779
UAH 41.414641
UGX 3677.993158
UYU 42.563284
UZS 13000.684151
VES 70.161515
VND 25805
VUV 122.117516
WST 2.799576
XAF 598.364424
XAG 0.033794
XAU 0.000329
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.744173
XOF 598.364424
XPF 108.789054
YER 245.650363
ZAR 19.12525
ZMK 9001.203587
ZMW 27.896921
ZWL 321.999592
  • RELX

    -3.2800

    48.16

    -6.81%

  • RBGPF

    69.0200

    69.02

    +100%

  • GSK

    -2.4800

    36.53

    -6.79%

  • BCC

    0.8100

    95.44

    +0.85%

  • NGG

    -3.4600

    65.93

    -5.25%

  • SCS

    -0.0600

    10.68

    -0.56%

  • RIO

    -3.7600

    54.67

    -6.88%

  • AZN

    -5.4600

    68.46

    -7.98%

  • JRI

    -0.8600

    11.96

    -7.19%

  • CMSC

    0.0300

    22.29

    +0.13%

  • CMSD

    0.1600

    22.83

    +0.7%

  • BCE

    0.0500

    22.71

    +0.22%

  • VOD

    -0.8700

    8.5

    -10.24%

  • BTI

    -2.0600

    39.86

    -5.17%

  • RYCEF

    -1.5500

    8.25

    -18.79%

  • BP

    -2.9600

    28.38

    -10.43%

Pinturault's Kitzbuehel crash again highlights ski risks
Pinturault's Kitzbuehel crash again highlights ski risks / Photo: © APA/AFP

Pinturault's Kitzbuehel crash again highlights ski risks

Swiss master Marco Odermatt battled down a tough Kitzbuehel course to win Friday's super-G, but world skiing's race director was left with "mixed feelings" after a series of crashes, some serious.

Text size:

Markus Waldner, the International Ski Federation's Chief Race Director for the men's World Cup, called on organisers, coaches and ski industry figures to come together to work on how to best cut back on crashes in what has been an already injury-blighted season.

Of the 57 starters on Friday, 14 did not make it down the Streif course, which features 17 kilometres of safety netting, 180 impact protection mats and 160 air fences.

Medical crews in a helicopter were called upon three times to whisk injured racers off the piste to hospital in neighbouring Sankt-Johann.

Among that trio was France's Alexis Pinturault, the French team having already seen Cyprien Sarrazin -- the defending downhill champion in Kitzbuehel -- ruled out for the season after a horrific crash in Bormio last month.

Pinturault, a vastly experienced racer who is a three-time Olympic medallist making his comeback from a serious knee ligament injury sustained a year ago, was immediately ruled out of the February 4-16 world championships in Saalbach.

The French team clarified that Pinturault had suffered a "significant bone bruise on the medial tibial plateau, along with a small fracture and an injury to the medial meniscus".

While Pinturault will be repatriated to France, his teammate Florian Loriot was being kept overnight at hospital for observation after suffering a concussion, the team said.

Speaking at the team captains' meeting for Saturday's downhill, Waldner insisted that discussions would be held about the number of crashes in World Cup action in Saalbach.

Waldner said Friday's racing had left him with the "same feeling like my colleagues, mixed feelings, not super happy with so many crashes".

"The reason? A combination of reasons," he said.

- 'Something has to change' -

Although there have been significant developments in the protective equipment for the racers, such as back protectors, cut-proof race suits and airbags, not everyone is a fan.

Waldner also cites other issues such as increasingly "aggressive" equipment produced by the ski industry for elite racers and the hard, icy courses being prepared -- in part to try to level the playing ground so a racer with bib number one does not enjoy a huge advantage over bib number 30.

Link extreme snow preparation with improved equipment and "we are turning the dial", Waldner told Ski Racing media before the start of the current season.

"I think it's not the right place here, now, to discuss it," Waldner said Friday.

"In Saalbach we're going to have two meetings, one on February 6... and one on February 12, (when) we are on the same table with ski industry engineers and you guys, head coaches, also medical staff."

Waldner added: "We need to discuss because, for sure, something has to change. All agree.

"I think it's not only equipment, but we need to talk about the global situation, what we can change short term because we need to avoid all these crashes.

"We are on the limit... So we all need to cooperate (to find) the best solution to avoid all these injuries."

But Waldner is also pragmatic, telling Ski Racing that "this sport is connected with injuries".

"It is a high-risk sport. Otherwise, we'd play ping-pong. Here, everybody goes up (to the start) and knows the risk is there.

"We can reduce the risk; that is our job. But we need to stay together."

Closing up the team captains' meeting, Waldner said: "I wish you a nice evening, a successful race tomorrow, hopefully less crashes than today."

M.Delgado--TFWP