On December 7, Cyprien Sarrazin, the French Alpine ski racer and 2023 Bormio Ski Racing champion, got a harsh reminder of just how unpredictable winter sports can be. He wasn’t expecting to be sidelined by injury on the very same downhill where he’d previously triumphed, but that’s the thing about the slopes—they’re full of surprises! And when it comes to the Stelvio slope in Bormio, Italy, it’s a snow giant that can throw new challenges at racers every day. That’s exactly what happened on the second day of this season’s FIS Ski World Cup Bormio training event.

Sarrazin and two other racers took nasty falls on the unforgiving slope, with the Frenchman needing to be airlifted due to a medical issue. But hold on—this wasn’t the last of the chaos. Fast forward to December 29, and the first ski racer of the competition day met a fate similar to Sarrazin’s. Gino Caviezel, the Swiss ski racer, crashed into the gates and tumbled down the slope.

Fortunately, Caviezel stayed conscious and had enough presence of mind to show the medics his injuries as they rushed to his side. Despite that, his injuries were serious. As per updates posted on ESPN, initially, the medics provided Carviezel with the first aid treatment. Later, he had to walk through the same route as Cyprien Sarrazin and the Italian ski racer Pietro Zazzi had done two days ago. The medical emergency also caused Gino Carviezel to be airlifted from the venue.

Meanwhile, the Bormio leg of the men’s 2024 FIS Ski World Cup was stopped. Since the Sarrazin’s fall on the second training day, the ski racing fans had been rallying to request the authority to stop the race in Bormio. Per them, the slope’s gradient poses a massive threat even to the most experienced ski racers, and Sarrazin’s fall is a clear example of that risk. Many are now pushing for Bormio to be excluded from hosting the 2026 Winter Olympic Games for this very reason. With Caviezel’s injury adding more fuel to the fire, the protests are likely to intensify. However, despite the growing outcry, the organizers didn’t stop the race entirely on Sunday after the mishap.

After a brief pause, the event started, and Fredrik Moeller marked a convincing victory on the same slope. Subsequently, the Stelvio slope witnessed stiff competition between Vincent Kriechmayr and Alexis Monney. Monney eventually finished third, with a four-hundredths-of-a-second lead above Vincent. Do those competitions represent the all-good mode of the slope?

Perhaps not. According to the Swiss Ski Federation, the Swiss Air Rescue transported Gino Carviezel to Switzerland for further medical examination. According to the most recent update, Carviezel suffered a dislocated shoulder and a complex knee injury. However, the medical assistants’ fast response helped to repair the dislocated shoulder. However, the same cannot be true for his knee. According to the available evidence, his knee requires further treatment. Notably, Carviezel is currently under medical monitoring, and no one knows about his return to ski racing. The same uncertainty exists for Sarrazin’s return.

The FIS Ski World Cup races on Italian slopes have a reputation for being brutally unforgiving

After Cyprien Sarrazin’s hard fall during the second training day of the Bormio Ski World Cup, he remains under medical supervision. The crash caused a subdural hematoma due to an excessive blood clot in his meninges. Following the accident, the rescue team airlifted him to Sondalo, about 20 kilometers away, for treatment. On December 28, doctors successfully performed surgery to remove the blood clot and repair the meninges. As of now, Sarrazin is in stable condition and under sedation, but there’s no update on when he might fully recover.

Meanwhile, Pietro Zazzi, another victim of the same training session, has also undergone surgery. His right leg took the brunt of the fall, but in Milan, doctors successfully fixed his tibia and fibula. However, there’s no word yet on when he’ll return to racing.

These incidents have sparked concerns, but have they raised any doubts about the Winter Olympics? Not yet—the IOC has yet to make any decisions about the implications for future events.