Russian athlete dies in Saas Fee
Monday September 6, 2010 - Email this article to a friend

The unnamed athlete was on the course when she fell and landed on her head after a jump.

The cantonal police say a medical team treated the 14-year old girl immediately and tried to revive her.

She was flown by helicoper to hospital in nearby Visp down in the valley.  It's believed she died in hospital from the injuries she sustained.

The authorities have said that she was wearing a helmet and protective body supports and that she had already trained on the course several times before the fall.

An investigation is now going on into the tragedy.  It happened mid-morning last Friday near the Mittelallalin Snowpark.

It raises questions about the safety of the developing snowsports.

Boardercross and skicross pits racers against each other as the jostle each other down a winding course as they tackle jumps and other obstacles.

Saas-Fee; popular at this time of yearThe newer snow sports were the success stories of the last Olympics in Vancouver and other events like slopestyle will probably be included in the next Games at Sochi in 2014.

There are a large number of injuries too in the half-pipe as tricks go wrong and people fall, but these tend to be relatively minor.

The death of the teenager will no doubt call into question safety levels and whether enough is being done to protect athletes and if sporting and commercial pressures are pushing people too far.

Saas-Fee is popular with national teams throughout the summer months with its high altitude snowpark and pistes.

For the spirit of the mountains

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