After a serious accident during training in Chile, Italian ski racer Matteo Franzoso has been hospitalized and put in an induced coma. The 25-year-old, originally from Genoa but raised on the slopes of Sestriere, is in intensive care in Santiago after a crash that caused a severe head injury. The medically induced coma after a serious brain injury is used to reduce brain activity and swelling, giving the brain time to heal and lowering the risk of further damage.
The training session was taking place at the ski resort of La Parva in Chile. According to the press release by the Italian Ski Association (FISI), Chilean emergency services intervened immediately after the fall, and Franzoso was airlifted to a hospital in the capital, where he is now being treated in a specialized clinic. FISI confirms that he is being closely monitored by the PHYSI Medical Commission of the federation, which is in close contact with Chilean health workers.
Matteo Franzoso is a speed specialist—Downhill and Super-G—and is a member of the Fiamme Gialle sports group. The Fiamme Gialle (“Yellow Flames”) is the sports section of the Guardia di Finanza, Italy’s financial police force. Many top Italian athletes, including alpine skiers, biathletes, and track athletes, are enlisted in the Fiamme Gialle, which provides them with funding, facilities, and job security while they compete at the highest level.
Franzoso made his European Cup debut in December 2017 in Obereggen, earning his first career victory—and first podium — on November 29, 2021, in the Zinal Super-G. That December he also made his World Cup debut. Although he had not yet competed in World Championships or the Olympics at the time of the accident, Franzoso was establishing himself as a promising young talent in speed events. In 2023, he also won the Italian national title in the combined.
SnowBrains wishes him a speedy recovery!
