Hujara: FIS will focus on course safety this season

SOLDEN, Austria – Two horrific accidents during last season made safety the prime off-season focus according to Gunther Hujara, director of the men’s FIS Alpine World Cup.  Speaking at the International Ski Association's annual fall press forum, Hujara said medical and safety protocols had been reviewed and altered, and that all of the World Cup sites had been inspected.
SOLDEN, Austria – Two horrific accidents during last season made safety the prime off-season focus according to Gunther Hujara, director of the men’s FIS Alpine World Cup.  Speaking at the International Ski Association's annual fall press forum, Hujara said medical and safety protocols had been reviewed and altered, and that all of the World Cup sites had been inspected.
     One change is that medical helicopters now must be fully equipped for “mountain rescue.” A second point, which came at the request of the athletes, allows the wearing of safety gear under the speed suits in downhill.    
    Spurred by two serious accidents at Kitzbühel and Kvitfjell, the FIS reviewed all safety procedures for sites worldwide. The first involved Scott Macartney’s wreck at the bottom of the Hahnenkamm course.  The second was Matthias Lanzinger’s horrific fall at Kvitfjell, which wound up costing the racer his lower leg.
     Hujara pointed out that both accidents were on courses that had been raced on for many years and the accidents were not caused by terrain.
    “Once there is an accident, the medical staff is in charge and neither the race director nor the jury has anything to say until the medical activities are completed,” Hujara says. “The procedure has all been outlined in a FIS book of medical procedures and approved by all organizers.”
    Hujara and a team of designers will continue to work on safety equipment and explore other options.