Chaos at Swiss race leaves Olympic futures of skiers uncertain including world champion

A series of crashes and worsening visibility forced officials to cancel the women’s World Cup downhill race in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, raising concerns over the Olympic readiness of three injured athletes, including a four-time Olympic medallist.

The race was called off on January 30 after it had already begun, with half of the skiers who started involved in accidents, as reported by TNT Sport. Safety concerns escalated quickly as all of the first six racers encountered difficulties on the course.

Following those early runs, the race jury decided to interrupt the competition and later moved to cancel it entirely, citing unacceptable risk levels as conditions deteriorated.

Women’s World Cup Race Director Peter Gerdol said the decision was driven by visibility issues that made the course increasingly dangerous.

“The visibility was getting worse and worse, they couldn’t see the race line properly, and it caused mistakes. We saw six athletes starting and all six had some mistakes. This was a sign that it was a high-risk situation. We know that our sport is a risky sport, but the feeling was too much risk. That’s why the Jury decided to stop the race,” he said.

The interruption followed several last-minute changes to the course compared with the morning inspection, compounding the challenges faced by athletes. Three skiers—Austria’s Nina Ortlieb, Norway’s Marte Monsen, and American Lindsey Vonn—failed to finish their runs and sustained injuries.

All three were expected to compete at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, which begin next week in Italy. Vonn is a four-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist, widely viewed as one of the most talented female skiers at the moment.

“The flat light was getting more and more challenging and safety could no longer be guaranteed,” Gerdol added.

Officials have not yet provided updates on the severity of the athletes’ injuries or whether they will be able to compete in the upcoming Olympic Games.

By Nazrin Sadigova