Organisation of safety measures in an Alpine World Junior Championship

Objectives-To study the implementation of skiing safety during the Alpine World Junior Championship of 1995. Methods-A map of the area was made with descriptions of the slopes and all its facilities and the security measures along the course. The number of competitors who started and any injuries reported were recorded in a questionnaire. Results-A total of 452 girls and 546 boys started in the different races. Only four injuries were recorded, all in girls. The overall injury rate was 4 per 1000 runs. An injury rate of 8.3 per 1000 runs was recorded in the downhill. One skier had a possibly severe injury (ISS = 14) in the downhill; the rest of the injuries were minor (ISS = 1). The mean ISS was 4.3 and the total ISS was 17. Conclusions-A significantly higher injury rate was recorded for young female than young male racers. The injury rate was significantly higher in downhill than the other alpine disciplines in the Alpine World Junior Championship. The injury rate was not significantly different from that recorded one year previously for Olympic racers, and juniors therefore need the same safety measures as Olympic racers.