Scientific Programme

Sports and Exercise Medicine and Health

IS-MH03 - Recent efforts by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) to reduce the risk of injury in competitive snow sports for the Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, Italy

Date: 02.07.2025, Time: 08:00 - 09:15, Session Room: Arco

Description

In snow sports like alpine skiing, big air, slopestyle, or ski and snowboard cross injury risk is high, with severe injuries resulting in lengthy absences from competition. To address this, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) established the Athlete Health Unit (AHU) to reduce injury risk and improve safety. The AHU is initiating projects with partners from science, industry, standard organizations, and national federations to mitigate injury risk. This work is focused on the competition framework (e.g., race calendars or course design), equipment (regulating performance-maximizing equipment that could harm athletes, developing protective gear), and athletes' physical, mental, and social resilience (through injury registration, warm-up/cool-down practices, training and testing, and return-to-sport strategies) as key areas for injury prevention. It employs a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach involving scientists, industry stakeholders, national federations, and non-governmental organizations. Six months before the Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, Italy, a symposium will be held to illustrate the FIS AHU's approach to injury prevention and its multi-disciplinary collaboration between international stakeholders combining their complementary approaches. The symposium will feature three leading researchers in snow sports injury prevention, highlighting the AHU's roadmap for reducing injury risk in competitive snow sports and the Olympic Games.