Five seriously injured athletes in four days: that is the cause of St. Moritz’s series of injuries

“Dizzy on skis”

What is going on? When you talk to those responsible for the team, it quickly becomes clear: every injury is self-inflicted. But there are aspects that play a role. Tschoor says: “I don’t want to talk about bad luck with such a concentration of accidents. The fact is that determining a course at high speed is difficult in poor visibility.”

This was exactly the case in St. Moritz: on Friday with light snowfall and on Saturday from start number 30, the race was stopped shortly afterwards. ÖSV head coach Roland Assinger says: “In St. Moritz there are no trees due to the height and therefore hardly any contrast for the runners. Without sun there is hardly any view of the ground. It’s no different than an amateur skier: you feel a little dizzy on the skis.”

Blue lines not dark enough?

In such cases, the blue food coloring sprayed on the track is useful for the speed cracks. On Friday evening, some team bosses complained that horizontal stripes also had to be applied. This request was heard. “Unfortunately, the quality of the product did not seem particularly good to me; the lines were not dark enough,” says Gianluca Rufli.

The Italian team boss mentions another aspect: “The first speed weekend of the season is always difficult because the drivers finally want to show what they can do.” This time the athletes had to wait a particularly long time due to the cancellations on the Matterhorn.

Will the situation improve? In any case, the starting signal has been given. The next appointment will take place soon in Val d’Isère.