CANADA AND THE action-sports world endured their second tragedy in two months Saturday with the death of skicross racer Nik Zoricic, who suffered head injuries after crashing into the nets on the side of the course near the final jump of a race in Switzerland.
Ski authorities called it a “freak accident,” much the same way they labeled the fatal accident of Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke, who crashed during halfpipe training two months to the day before Zoricic’s accident.
Both Burke and Zoricic were 29.
International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge called Zoricic’s death “a very sad day for the whole Olympic Movement.”“He was a young, gifted athlete who tragically died doing the sport he loved,” Rogge said in a statement.
Skicross debuted at the Olympics in 2010, joining its sister sport of snowboardcross in the latest attempt by the IOC to bring a more exciting, youthful feel to the games. It’s a dangerous discipline — known as “NASCAR on skis” — during which four racers jostle down a course filled with banks, rolls and ridges.
Despite the inherent danger, Max Gartner, president of Alpine Canada, said he was satisfied with the safety precautions in place for the race in Grindelwald, Switzerland.
“We’re pretty confident that this was a World Cup race and there’s lots of rules and regulations, and inspectors on site,” he said.Gartner, speaking during a conference call from Toronto, said: “I would say it’s a freak accident, from here. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s devastating. We look at all our athletes as members of our family, so it’s hard.”
Zoricic’s death adds more fuel to the debate over safety in the world of skiing, particularly in the relatively new disciplines of freestyle skiing. More sports are being added to the Olympic program in 2014, including skiing halfpipe and slopestyle on both snowboards and skis.
International Ski Federation secretary general Sarah Lewis said Zoricic’s death was “a terrible, tragic accident.”
“All the safety measures were in place,” Lewis told The Associated Press by telephone from Grindelwald, a regular venue on the skicross international circuit.
Zoricic was treated by doctors before being airlifted to a hospital at Interlaken. He was pronounced dead as a result of “severe neurotrauma,” the ski federation said in a statement.“Nik Zoricic fell heavily just before the finish in the round of eight, crashing directly into the safety netting and thereafter lying motionless,” the federation said.
The governing body will work with Swiss ski officials to analyse the crash and course security. An investigation will be conducted by legal officers from Bern.
