The Fiamme Gialle marked the first anniversary of Matteo Franzoso's death with a memorial in Predazzo on Tuesday, 15 September 2026. The service, organised by the V Nucleo Atleti, was held in the San Matteo chapel at the Guardia di Finanza's Scuola Alpina. His mother Olga, father Marcello and brother Michele travelled to Predazzo for it.
The Italian downhiller died on 15 September 2025, aged 25, in a clinic in Santiago, Chile. Two days earlier he had crashed heavily during downhill training at La Parva, where he was preparing for the season with Italy's speed squad.
Race suit, helmet and two photographs
Before the Mass, the family handed several of Franzoso's belongings to the Museo Storico of the Scuola Alpina, SciareMag reported:
- his Fiamme Gialle race suit
- his helmet
- his ski boots
- his poles
- two photographs of him smiling
The items will stay at the school's museum. The Mass was celebrated by Don Antonio Zimbone, military chaplain of the Guardia di Finanza's Piedmont–Aosta Valley regional command. Along with the Fiamme Gialle, he had supported the family since Franzoso's death.
Fiamme Gialle athletes, coaches and staff attended, as did friends and relatives from Piedmont. Also present were General Antonio Marco Appella, commander of the Centro Sportivo; General Raffaele D'Angelo, who is set to take charge of Fiamme Gialle sport; Colonel Gabriele Di Paolo, Lieutenant Colonel Andrea Bergamo and Major Isabella Mancini.
From Sestriere to the World Cup
Franzoso learned his skiing on the slopes of Sestriere and joined the Fiamme Gialle on 12 December 2018. In November 2021 he won a European Cup super-G in Zinal, and he made 17 World Cup starts in super-G and downhill. In 2023 he won the Italian title in the alpine combined at La Thuile. As a junior he took three gold medals (slalom, parallel slalom and super-G) and one silver (alpine combined) at the Italian championships.
The Fiamme Gialle described him as a cheerful, serious young man who was determined in training and polite and kind in everyday life. They said his infectious smile, vitality and energy would be remembered. According to SciareMag, they closed their tribute with the words "Ci manchi Matteo. Ci manchi moltissimo" ("We miss you, Matteo. We miss you so much").
Roda says coaches play a central role
The day before, on 14 September, a round table on safety in ski racing took place in Rovereto. FISI president Flavio Roda used it to remember Franzoso and Matilde Lorenzi, who had died a few months before him, according to Race Ski Magazine. Roda said:
Alpine SkiingFIS turmoil deepens as Trinkl turns down Waldner's race director job"Attention to safety is in the nature of every coach. If it weren't, it would not be possible to do this job. […] It is important always to put the athletes first, but I believe the coaches also play a central role in the complex process of safety."
Roda also named the course homologation inspector and the course setter as people who keep track safety in mind. He also pointed to external conditions and to the athlete's overall situation.
Race Ski Magazine reported that after a series of accidents and injuries, the FISI federal council made cut-resistant trousers compulsory for everyone. It also ruled that training may only take place on homologated slopes. In May 2025, the FIS required airbags to protect the body in the speed disciplines. According to the magazine, manufacturers are also working on new developments, and new projects may be presented soon.
On the anniversary itself, Italy's men's team was training again on the slopes of La Parva, where a wooden cross stands in Matteo Franzoso's memory.
