French skier Sarrazin to undergo surgery for brain bleed after downhill crash on 2026 Olympic slope

French standout Cyprien Sarrazin was in intensive care with a head injury and will undergo surgery after a crash during training for a World Cup downhill race on Friday on the slope set to be used for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Sarrazin, who won the downhill in Bormio, Italy, last year, was one of two skiers airlifted to a hospital after crashing and the French ski federation said he was conscious but diagnosed with a subdural haematoma — bleeding near the brain.

Shortly afterward, it gave another update saying that Sarrazin will undergo surgery later Friday.

"Following further examinations, as well as Cyprien's evolving clinical examination, it has been decided in agreement with the Italian surgeons to operate on Cyprien this evening in order to drain the subdural haematoma," the federation said in a statement.

Pietro Zazzi of Italy was also taken to a hospital by helicopter after a crash. The Italian ski federation said he has "a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula of his right leg" and was on his way to Milan, where he will undergo surgery on Saturday.

The incidents called into question the safety of the fearsome Stelvio slope — the course for next winter's Milan-Cortina Olympics.

"My opinion here is clear, it's that they don't know how to prepare a course," Sarrazin's teammate Nils Allegre said. "It's been 40 years that they have been preparing courses, but they don't know how to do anything, apart from dangerous things.

"Maybe it's not something everyone agrees with but it's my opinion and it's deep-seated. It's not right, I don't know what they're trying to prove, but a year ahead of organizing the Olympics, having a course like this — they don't deserve to have the Olympic Games here."

Swiss skier Josua