Silver medalist sounds the alarm
“It’s crumbling people away from us”
January 17, 2025 – 9:05 a.mReading time: 3 minutes
At the weekend, the best ski racers in the world will prove themselves in Wengen, a dangerous route. The risk of injury increases and increases. An expert is worried.
Ski fans are already looking forward to the next highlights in the winter sports calendar. The best athletes will next stop in Wengen, Kitzbühel and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The routes are among the most demanding on the ski racers’ calendar. However, the risk of injury is even higher on these descents. That’s why Hans Knauß, Super-G silver medalist at the 1998 Games, is sounding the alarm.
“It’s disturbed. It’s crumbling people away from us. It’s just crazy. Speed sport has become too dangerous. We have to change something quickly, otherwise we’ll run out of athletes,” said the ex-ski racer on “Laola1” .
The Norwegian Alexander Aamodt Kilde had a serious fall in Wengen last year, has had to undergo several operations since then and is still working on his comeback. The fiancé of US record holder Mikaela Shiffrin suffered a dislocated shoulder joint and tore ligaments. He also had a deep cut on his calf from landing in the safety net. In addition to Kilde, Frenchman Alexis Pinturault also tore a cruciate ligament on the Lauberhorn descent and had to end his season.
This winter, Frenchman Cyprien Sarrazin fell so badly in Bormio that he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Since then there has been a lot of discussion about the material. The German ski racer Josef Ferstl told “Sport Bild”: “In 2024 in Kitzbühel, Sarrazin drove away from everyone Knee injury, but something much more serious due to higher fall forces. It’s a matter of a wheelchair or even a matter of life and death.” At least: According to “Skiweltcup.tv”, Sarrazin can now communicate again.
Injuries in skiing can never be completely prevented, explained Hans Knauß at “Laola1”, who won seven World Cup races in his active career. But when ligaments tear while driving, as Marcel Hirscher experienced, it shows that fundamental problems exist. Hirscher made his comeback this season and then tore a cruciate ligament during training. For Knauß it is time to act, he emphasized: “It has been taken to the extreme. The sport has to be slowed down.”
And how? For Knauß, a rule change by the International Ski Federation (Fis) would make sense: “I think the last time there was a big rule change in downhill skiing was in 2012. If we were Formula 1, they would have reacted ten years ago. It costs millions there and for us it’s a piece of cake in comparison, but skiing doesn’t do anything.”
Although protective systems such as cut-resistant underwear or the partially mandatory airbag can reduce injuries, Knauß sees the actual cause in the ever-increasing speed and extreme stress. In his opinion, there are numerous starting points for change, from the racing suits to the skis. Knauß has already forwarded his suggestions to the Fis.
The former ski racer is annoyed that there is a lot of talk about economics and marketing (read about an unsuccessful and ambiguous slogan “I love Wank” here) but not about safety. “More important than any central marketing is that we make the sport safer again. But it looks as if no one is interested in that,” continued Knauß.
The 2003 World Cup runner-up in the giant slalom also believes that the athletes may not want any change: “It’s the best feeling when you can pull everything on the edge. The centrifugal forces that you experience as a downhill skier – that’s awesome. The athletes will hate us for making rules that minimize that feeling. But the viewers won’t even notice.”