Wednesday 23 December 2015 13:24, UK
World champion skier Marcel Hirscher had a fortunate escape when he narrowly avoided a collision with a drone at the World Cup slalom at Madonna di Campiglio in Italy on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old Austrian was coming down the mountain on his second run when a drone which was being used to film pictures of the course from above crashed into the snow just behind him.
The drone smashed into pieces when it hit the ground and TV footage showed debris bouncing into the air but Hirscher, who has won the overall World Cup title for the last four seasons, apparently did not notice and continued his run.
He said afterwards: "It's unbelievable, it's incredible, shameful. This can never happen again."
However, he did manage to joke: "That's my Christmas present! I'm not hurt and I was lucky."
The drone was being operated by an expert employed by the host broadcaster Infront Sports and Media. They and the International Ski Federation (FIS) have apologised for the crash.
An FIS statement said: "While FIS and its partners aim to use new technology to enhance the fan experience, an accident such as the drone crash cannot happen again.
"Even if, unlike in Austria, Switzerland and other countries, drones are authorised to fly over a crowd during events in Italy, FIS and the host broadcaster will work together with all the involved parties to see what occurred during the crash and ensure that this will not happen again."
Hirscher finished in second place and has reclaimed the leadership of the overall World Cup standings.
His fortunate near-miss followed a worrying incident at the US Open in the autumn when a drone crashed into the stands during a match between eventual women's champion Flavia Pennetta and Monica Niculescu.
Daniel Verley, a teacher from New York City, was subsequently sentenced to five days of community service for crashing the unauthorised drone.
