Airbags Introduced for Downhill & Super G Racers
10th November 2024
Last modified on November 14th, 2024
The safety measure by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation will come into effect for both categories in the coming 2024/25 season.
The FIS Council has confirmed that the use of airbags will be compulsory for all athletes competing in the speed disciplines of Alpine Skiing.
“For FIS, athlete safety comes first and is non-negotiable,” said FIS Secretary General Michel Vion.
“This has been at the top of our agenda, and it is why we established the Athlete Health Unit in 2023, for example.”
It comes after the recent death of 19-year-old Italian skier Matilde Lorenzi in a crash while training.
It is reported she fell at speed and her head crashed against the icy surface of the slope.
She was a specialist in speed events and was the Italian senior super-G champion last season.
She finished sixth in the downhill and eighth in the super-G at the 2024 Junior World Championships in Chatel, France.
Her best result in the European Cup, the last step before the World Cup, was an 11th place in super-G in December 2023 in St Moritz, Switzerland.
“The adoption of airbags is part of a broader approach that involves all the factors that can minimise the risk of serious injuries: from the knowledge around weather conditions and track set-up to equipment such as cut-resistant undergarment and smart bindings,” added a statement from FIS.
“We will embrace any measure that is proven to help protect athletes’ health and welfare.”
Exceptions can be granted by the National Ski Association in the event that the airbag does not fit an athlete, such that the airbag restricts movement in an unsafe manner.
