Worries over injury rate
Wednesday December 16, 2009 - Email this article to a friend

Downhill world champion John Kucera, World Cup slalom champion Jean-Baptiste Grange and the former women's overall World Cup winner Nicole Hosp are among those out of this winter's  Vancouver Olympics because of injuries.

TJ Lanning of the United States broke a vertebra in his neck and dislocated his left knee in a downhill race last month.

We reported on Kucera's accident earlier in the season.

The former slalom world champion Ivica Kostelic is the latest injured racer after he was hurt last the weekend in the World Cup in Val d'Isere.

The 30-year-old Croatian had the meniscus on his right knee repaired in the sixth operation of his career over the weekend, but he is expected to able to compete in The Winter Olympics.

The reasons for the accidents are all varied but the sport is now said to be "very worried."

The thrillsThe FIS president, Gian Franco Kasper, has voiced his concern and has set up a working body to look at the growing number of serious accidents.

The group is reviewing equipment rules for possible changes.

The retired Austrian skier, Hermann Maier, has already hinted that he may get involved in the issue.

Gia Franco Kasper"Our FIS Race Directors and staff on the World Cup circuit, all of whom are highly experienced skiing professionals, do ongoing, daily work to ensure and further improve safety during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup competitions," says Kasper on the FIS web site.

and the spills

"All our competitions are staged following precise procedures and safety guidelines, where the teams and their doctors are also directly involved. Safety of the athletes is and remains FIS's foremost concern."

A working group of men's speed racers will meet this week to discuss the issue. 

They meet in Val Gardena, Italy, and we will let you know on PlanetSKI what they come up with.

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