Since the heavy fall of French skier Cyprien Sarrazin this Friday, the Bormio slope has been under fire from critics. Deemed too “dangerous”, it will host the downhill events during the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games in 2026. But for the international ski federation, the track was prepared “as it is every year”.
The essentials of the day: our exclusive selection
Every day, our editorial team reserves the best regional news for you. A selection just for you, to stay in touch with your regions.
France Télévisions uses your email address to send you the newsletter “Today’s essentials: our exclusive selection”. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link at the bottom of this newsletter. Our privacy policy
The heavy fall of Cyprien Sarrazin had opened hostilities. A few hours after witnessing the loss of control of the Dévoluy skier, criticism of the “Stelvio” multiplied. Known for its difficult and accident-prone route, the Bormio track is due to host the downhill events of the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games in 2026.
Beyond the big scare for Cyprien Sarrazin, victim of an intracranial hematoma, two other skiers fell and were seriously injured this Friday, December 27 during the second training session. LThe Italian Pietro Zazzi was also evacuated by helicopter.
Repeated accidents which have freed up speech on the circuit, just 13 months before the Milan-Cortina Olympics. “They don't know how to do anything other than prepare dangerous trackshad thus attacked the Frenchman Nils Allègre on Eurosport. They don't deserve to have the Olympics here“.
Questioned by the team captains on Friday evening in Bormio, the boss of the men's alpine skiing World Cup brushed aside the criticism after the meeting. “There are now reviews every week: in Gurgl (Austria)the route was too hard, in Levi (Finland) too smooth… We are a sport that is practiced outdoors“, said Markus Waldner.
The International Ski Federation gave its full support to the organizers who “their maximum to prepare the slopes as best as possible and (the Stelvio) was prepared as it is every year“, assured the head of the International Ski Federation (FIS).
According to him, the increase in falls on the track is a combination of circumstances linked in particular to the weather on Christmas Day. “There was a lot of wind and we know what the wind does: it dried the snow from the bottom to the top, which explains why the snow was not uniform on the track which is three kilometers long and it was impossible to make uniform“.
“We need everyone’s cooperation. The equipment manufacturers listen to us, not the biggest national federations”
Markus Waldner, head of the FISAFP
For Markus Waldner, head of the FIS, the main problem in high-level skiing comes from the evolution of equipment which allows skiers to go ever faster. “It's too aggressive, we have reached the limits, there is no more margin. It's difficult to find the right skis that work on hard sections and then on softer sections. That's the problem, if you go to the limit, what happened on Friday happens“.
While criticism intensified in Bormio, Cyprien Sarrazin was treated at the hospital in the neighboring town of Probe it. The world number 2 in downhill last winter suffers from an intracranial hematoma which had to be drained during the night from Friday to Saturday.
This Saturday morning, the French Ski Federation announced on its social networks that the operation “well gone“. The FFS indicated that “Cyprien Sarrazin was operated on overnight to decompress the intracranial hematoma. The operation went well, he remains under anesthesia for the moment“.
The skier from Dévoluy, winner just a year ago on this same Bormio slope, is therefore forfeited for this weekend's events. The start of the downhill will be given this Saturday at 11:30 a.m. before the super-G this Sunday at the same time.
