Poland
Controversy Erupts Over Polish Ski Jump Fall
Classified Polnews
Warsaw, Poland 21 January 2007. Who is to blame for the serious ski jump accident at the world cup event yesterday in Zakopane, Poland? Should the event have been cancelled by the Polish organizing committee or should it have been continued? Should the event has been started at all? Was the jumper's fall a result of inexperience or wind conditions?
Shortly after the fall of the Czech ski jumper, Jan Mazok, the day's event, in the second series of two jumps, was canceled by the organizing committee.
Those contestants who had not had their opportunity to make the second jump were not happy with the decision to cancel the event. After the decision was announced they tried to convince the officials to allow it to go forward.
The Czech ski jumper apparently flew into what was described by Polish trainer as hole in the air. His ski dropped and he was not able to recover.
Poland's top jumper, Adam Malysz, opined that an experienced jumper would have been able to recover. It was the Czech jumper's lack of experience and not wind conditions that caused his fall.
But the Czech team has criticized the organizing committee for allowing the event to have started at all. They said that the conditions during the first series of jumps were just as bad as the conditions for the second series of jumps. They are criticising the organizers for putting money above the safety of the jumpers.
The organizers have taken the position that the weather conditions were decent and that falls are to be expected as part of the sport.
It appears that most of the teams felt the conditions were acceptable since they wanted the event to continue.
As of this morning, there are no official reports from hospitals regarding the Czech jumper's condition. One Polish newspaper claims that he was conscious. And a Polish newspaper claims that he is in critical condition with a cracked skull. A Polish television station reports that he is in critical condition. A radio report said that he has bruises on his brain and has been put into a coma.
The jumpers family has asked the doctors not to release any information regarding his condition.
There will be a second round of jumps on the same slope today.
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