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WINTER OLYMPICS

Concussion scare, then silver for Switzerland’s Gremaud

Switzerland's Mathilde Gremaud took Olympic freestyle silver in the women's ski slopestyle on Saturday, just a day after being taken to hospital after a concussion scare.

Concussion scare, then silver for Switzerland's Gremaud
Switzerland's Mathilde Gremaud falls during the women's ski slopestyle final event at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games on Friday. PHOTO: LOIC VENANCE / AFP
Gremaud, 18, underwent a CT scan and passed concussion protocols after falling and banging her head so hard in training that she appeared to suffer memory loss.
 
But she recovered to take silver behind fellow Swiss Sarah Hoefflin — who also hurt herself in training. Britain's Isabel Atkin won bronze.
 
“I just know what they told me, (that) I was shocked and then we skied down. I was crying. I really don't know what happened,” she said. “I forgot everything about yesterday's training until I got into the ambulance. I went to the hospital and got a CT scan and everything was all right.”
 
Switzerland's team doctor German Clenin said Gremaud fell off a railing and hit her head, but was not unconscious. She passed concussion protocols despite having a slight headache on Saturday morning.
 
“I did neurological testing yesterday (and) this morning so I could give the 'go' this morning,” he said. “It's really important to watch and be careful with concussion and if there was a concussion, she wouldn't compete today.”
 
Hoefflin said she had also had a tough week after falling and hurting both heels as she struggled with windy conditions in training.
 
“It's been incredible. It was a pretty hard week for the whole Swiss team, especially for me. I didn't have the best training and Mathilde and I have been having a couple of injuries,” Hoefflin said.
 
“We came out today and wanted to have the most amount of fun. We wanted to push ourselves and be a part of it. I am so honoured.”

WINTER OLYMPICS

Italy vs Sweden: Who will host the 2026 Winter Olympics?

International Olympic Committee members will decide on Monday between bids by Stockholm-Are and Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo in the race to host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Italy vs Sweden: Who will host the 2026 Winter Olympics?
Cortina d'Ampezzo, which hosted the Winter Games in 1956. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

The vote to choose a winner from the Swedish and Italian rivals is expected to be closer than the 2015 vote when Beijing beat the Kazakh city Almaty to land the 2022 Winter Games.

READ ALSO: Polls show Italians more enthusiastic about Winter Games bid than Swedes

On the road to the 2026 decision, bids from Calgary, Graz in Austria, Japan's Sapporo and Sion in Switzerland have fallen by the wayside, mainly because of concerns over the cost or a lack of popular support. A bid by the Turkish ski resort of Erzurum was ruled out by the IOC in October 2018.

The bid by Stockholm and the Are ski area — which hosted the World Ski Championships in February — appeared to be running out of steam a few months ago due to a lack of funding commitments, but the government has now swung behind it.

On the eve of the vote, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said after meeting IOC president Thomas Bach: “Sweden is ready to host the Winter Olympic Games in 2026 and the Swedish government is very supportive.”


Sweden presents its bid. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

“While organising a great Games, we can end the age of extremely costly Olympics that threaten welfare spending and leave a trail of underused structures and public resentment,” the Swedish prime minister said. “You wanted change; we will deliver this change.” 

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte followed the Swedes with his pitch for Milan on Monday.

“Our bid is worthy of the highest consideration,” Conte told delegates. “If Italy is chosen, then work will start from this evening so that our Games leave a mark on history.

“This is the dream of an entire country, and not only the government but also the regions.”

Italy's champion skier Sofia Goggia was in Lausanne to back the Italian bid. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

Italian Olympic 500m short track speed skating champion Arianna Fontana highlighted the climate advantages of the bid. “Milan-Cortina will be the sunny part of the Winter Olympics, with an average ten hours of sunlight every day,” she said.

Michela Moioli, Olympic snowboard champion in 2018, added: “The whole country believes in us; it's your turn to believe in us.” 

A total of 82 IOC members are reportedly likely to cast votes in the ballot to decide the host city, meaning a simple majority of 42 will be required to win.

Italy has twice hosted the Winter Olympics — in 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo and 2006 in Turin. Sweden has only hosted the Summer Olympics, in 1912 in Stockholm. 

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