‘Stupid mistake’ costs skier World Cup victory

SELVA DI VAL GARDENA, ITALY The International Ski Federation intends to strip German racer Stefan Luitz of his first World Cup win for using an oxygen mask, but will not seek further punishment.

FIS secretary general Sarah Lewis said Friday the German Ski Association had been notified that the rules call for “disqualification from the race at the event where the offence occurred.”

Racing in a giant slalom in Beaver Creek, Colo., this month that started at an altitude of 10,340 feet (3,152 metres), Luitz was seen using an oxygen tank between runs. He won by retaining his first-run lead.

The victory ended runner-up Marcel Hirscher’s five-race winning streak in the event, but the Olympic champion in giant slalom could yet be awarded the win.

FIS anti-doping rules state oxygen tanks cannot be brought to race venues and “competition results achieved after the use of the equipment shall be automatically disqualified.”

“It’s part of the anti-doping and medical guide regulation, but it’s related to a prohibited method, so it’s very different from blood doping or taking of anabolic steroids and different offences are categorized in different ways,” Lewis said. “This is just a breach of the regulations.”

The German association was informed of the FIS decision this week and has two weeks to request a hearing before a decision will be made.