Matteo Franzoso death: Italian ski racer dies in Chile training accident

Italian skier Matteo Franzoso. Photo / Instagram

Italian ski racer Matteo Franzoso has died following an accident in Chile, where he was training with his country’s Olympic team, the Italian Winter Sports Federation (Fisi) announced today.

The 25-year-old skier was training on the upper part of La Parva Ski Resort, around 50km from the capital Santiago, when he fell on Saturday and suffered a serious head injury.

The federation said Franzoso died in a Santiago clinic after the accident, which left him with a cerebral edema, or accumulation of fluid in the brain.

“This is a tragedy for the family and for our sport,” Fisi president Flavio Roda said.

“It is absolutely essential to do everything possible to ensure that such incidents never happen again.”

Franzoso had been in Chile since September 6, training with the Italian team.

Matteo Franzoso of Italy during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in January. Photo / AFP

Fisi said he botched a small jump on the training course and hit a fence outside the course.

He was airlifted to hospital, where he was placed in a medically induced coma but later succumbed to his injuries.

“The Italian ski team trains year after year at La Parva, which makes this situation deeply moving for us,” La Parva resort said in a statement sent to AFP.

Franzoso finished fourth in the downhill category at the 2020 Junior World Championships in Narvik, Norway.

He competed in 17 World Cup ski races since his tournament debut in 2021.