FIS will prohibit drones "as long as I am responsible ... because they are a bad thing for safety,'' men's race director Markus Waldner told the Associated Press on Wednesday, a day after the night race in Madonna di Campiglio. "It was huge luck that Marcel was not hurt,'' Waldner said. "I am very angry.'' The drone carrying a TV camera came down and shattered on the icy slope just behind Hirscher, a few seconds after the Olympic silver medalist started his second run.
Marcel Hirscher of Austria clears a gate during the first run in the men's slalom at the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Madonna di Campiglio, northern Italy, December 22, 2015. In his second run, a drone crashed directly behind him.
The company responsible for the drone, sports marketing agency Infront, said its initial investigation "indicates a malfunction of the drone.'' "The most likely reason is a strong and unforeseen interference on the operating frequency, leading to limited operability,'' Infront said in a statement. "The pilot followed the official security procedure, purposely flying the drone as close as possible to the ground before releasing it. The aim was to destroy the drone, in order to prevent it from losing control.'' Hirscher was unhurt and continued his run, finishing second behind Norwegian winner Henrik Kristoffersen. "I didn't know what it was, but I felt something,'' the four-time overall World Cup champion said. "I thought it was a course worker behind me, or a gate.''
A TV drone flies beside Canada's Erick Guay during the second practice of the men's Alpine skiing World Cup downhill race at the Lauberhorn in Wenge
Course workers slip through the gates shortly after each skier to smooth the snow surface for the next competitor. "I am very relieved that nothing happened,'' Hirscher said. “You don't want to think about what could have happened when 10 kilograms are coming down 20 meters. That would have been a very serious, bad injury. There are a lot of cool things nowadays. But you have to guarantee the safety — and that was just insane.''
‘Did not follow instructions’
