Even with professionals at the controls, accidents still happen. At Madonna di Campiglio in Italy, Austrian World Cup alpine ski racer Marcel Hirscher narrowly avoided being hit by a drone being used to capture footage from the event. Hirscher could of been seriously injured or even killed had the drone crashed into him. Hirscher probably didn’t even realise the drone had crashed and continued on to finish his run.
This incident is sure to raise more safety concerns about using drones to cover sporting events. Hirscher was quoted after the event saying “This can never happen again. This can be a serious injury.” and “Quite honestly, if I look at the pictures from the drone crash on the internet, I get sweaty palms and tremble.”
This is not the first time Drones have been used at ski races. The ski federation has been using them to enhance the experience for TV viewers as it provides moving pictures from an overhead angle which regular cameras can’t shoot.
According to ESPN, the international ski federation is banning camera drones from future World Cup races. FIS men’s race director Markus Waldner told The Associated Press that drones will be prohibited “As long as I am responsible …. because they are a bad thing for safety.”
