Italian Ski Racer Matteo Franzoso Dies at 25 After Training Crash in Chile

Italian ski racer Matteo Franzoso, 25, died in a training accident in Chile, according to an announcement published on Monday by FISI, the Italian Winter Sports Federation. 

FISI said Franzoso went over a small jump and crashed on Saturday. He passed through two safety nets and hit a fence about 20 feet away from the course.

Franzoso suffered a head injury and brain swelling. He was transported by helicopter to an intensive care unit and induced into a pharmacological coma. Health workers informed FISI of Franzoso’s death. 

"It's a tragedy for the family and for our sport,” said FISI president, Flavio Roda. “It is absolutely necessary to do everything possible so that no more episodes of this are repeated.”

Franzoso had arrived at La Parva ski resort on September 6, FISI said, to practice alongside talented racers and members of the Italian team, like Mattia Casse, Dominik Paris, and Christof Innerhofer.

Franzoso competed in one of alpine skiing’s highest circuits, the World Cup, this past winter. His best World Cup finish came in 2023 when he placed 28th at the Super G race in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. In the European Cup, a second-tier circuit, he won in a Super G race in 2021 in Zinal, Switzerland.

Alpine racing’s global governing body, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, said in a release that it “joins FISI President Flavio Roda and the entire Italian winter sports community in mourning, including coaches, athletes, teammates, the federal council, and all FISI staff.”

Last October, in 2024, another Italian racer, Matilde Lorenzi, died in a training accident.