Crans-Montana hosts World Cup skiers for subdued pre-Olympic races weeks after fatal fire tragedy

By Canadian Press on January 28, 2026.

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — The Swiss ski resort Crans-Montana is back in the spotlight this week — for international sports.

Four weeks after the fatal fire in a bar at a New Year’s Eve party, the World Cup in Alpine skiing has brought the best downhill racers led by Lindsey Vonn and Marco Odermatt to town for their last races before the Milan Cortina Olympics.

The show goes on though it will be subdued — without the usual festivities that take over any ski venue on race day — and respectful of the trauma in the Crans-Montana community.

On Wednesday, past Olympic downhill gold medalists Vonn, Sofia Goggia and Corinne Suter completed their first training runs on the Mont Lachaux slope into a finish area stripped of its usual vibrant color and advertising.

Instead, white and black signs of mourning that read “Our thoughts are with you” in multiple languages were displayed.

“This is, I think, a good point to find a good balance between tributes and a little bit of hope,” race organizing chief Didier Défago, the men’s downhill champion at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, told The Associated Press.

On Wednesday afternoon, Goggia and the Italy women’s team went to the scene of the fire that in the early hours of New Year’s Day killed 40 people, most of them youngsters, and injured 116.

At the steps of the boarded-up Le Constellation bar they laid a bouquet of yellow, cream and pink flowers and stood in silent tribute under the falling sleety snow.

The women will race Friday and Saturday at Crans-Montana, and the men on Sunday on an adjoining slope that shares the same finish area.

Crans-Montana’s future big events

“Now we have to focus a little on the sport, to bring the people together,” said Défago, who is leading the team at Crans-Montana organizing the Alpine world championships over two weeks in February next year.

Crans-Montana also is set to host Olympic races at the 2038 Winter Games which Switzerland is currently the only candidate to stage.

A short walk from the stricken bar is the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club course that for winter is under deep snow but from Sept. 3-6 will again host the lucrative European Masters tournament.

Italy’s tribute

It is a special week for the Italy team because six of the dead and 13 of the injured in the fire were Italian citizens.

The skiers including 2018 Olympic downhill champion Goggia and current World Cup overall champion Federica Brignone will wear black arm bands in their races.

At national level, tensions between Italy and Switzerland rose last week when the bar owner, Jacques Moretti, was released from detention by a local court. Moretti and his wife, Jessica, are suspected of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and causing a fire by negligence.

The office of Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, expressed “deep outrage” at Moretti’s release.

The Italian government wants there to be joint management of the investigation with Swiss authorities.

Moretti was released on bail of 200,000 Swiss francs ($259,000) and ordered to stay in Switzerland, give his identity documents including passport to prosecutors and report daily to police.

U.S. team emotions

Each World Cup host venue like Crans-Montana becomes a small community of ski racers during their stops across the five-month season.

“Our hotel is not really that far from where the tragedy happened,” U.S. team coach Alex Hödlmoser told the AP. “We drive by there every day and obviously have thoughts for the families.”

Echoing Défago on the need to keep racing respectfully, Hödlmoser suggested “we need to focus on what we are here for, yes, you know with full respect.”

“Still doing the events I think is important,” he said, “because obviously with everything life is keeping on.”

Pre-Olympic races

Vonn leads the World Cup downhill standings in her remarkable season at age 41 heading into Friday’s race. A super-G is held Saturday before the women go to their Olympic race venue, the storied and scenic slope at Cortina d’Ampezzo. The women’s Olympic downhill there is on Sunday, Feb. 8.

The men’s downhill at Crans-Montana on the adjoining National course is Saturday. Their Olympic races are at Bormio, staring with the marquee men’s downhill on Feb. 7, the Saturday morning after the opening ceremony.

Gathering in Crans-Montana, Défago opened an eve-of-training meeting of coaches and team leaders Tuesday with a minute’s silence.

“More than ever we hope for a moment of togetherness,” he told them, adding “this tragedy will leave a lasting mark on the history of Crans-Montana, for sure.”

Now, though, there is also time for sports, Défago told the AP.

“The community wants to move on a little now,” said the native of Morgins in the same canton (state) as Crans-Montana. “To live some positive emotions now.”

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More AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing and AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press

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