Swiss skier Fanny Smith training
Keystone / Anthony Anex
Swiss skier Fanny Smith will be awarded the women’s ski cross bronze medal after her disqualification in the controversial final at the recent Winter Olympics was overturned by an appeals commission.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
Smith, a bronze medallist at Pyeongchang in 2018, was relegated to fourth in Beijing after a prolonged review of the final resulted in the jury of the International Ski Federation (FIS) deciding that she had impeded Germany’s Daniela Maier, with Maier taking the bronze.
“The Appeals Commission met four times and reviewed both video and written documentation for several hours and ultimately found that the contact was the result of a sequence of actions which happened in unison,” the FIS said in a statementExternal link on Saturday.
“The Appeals Commission found that the close proximity of the racers at that moment resulted in action that was neither intentional nor avoidable. Therefore, […] the jury decision should have been rendered as an official warning, which as written in the Guidelines on Intentional Contact, would lead to no sanction.”
After the race on February 17 Smith, born in Switzerland to an American father and British mother, immediately pleaded her case, explaining that she couldn’t help how she had moved, given the presence of the Canadian Marielle Thompson almost on her skis at the landing of one of the last jumps of the course.
“I’m obviously relieved by this decision,” Smith said in a statement on Saturday. “I was always convinced that I hadn’t made a mistake. But at the same time I feel sorry for Daniela Maier who is now the victim of this situation.”
As a result of Smith’s bronze, Swiss Olympic hit its stated target of 15 medals in Beijing, seven of which were gold.
More
More
Swiss skier awarded Olympic bronze after appeal
This content was published on
Swiss skier Fanny Smith will be awarded the women’s ski cross bronze medal after her disqualification was overturned.
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.