SANTIAGO:

Italian ski racer Matteo Franzoso died following an accident in Chile where he was training with his country's Olympic team, the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) announced Monday.

The 25-year-old skier was training on the upper part of La Parva Ski Resort, around 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the capital Santiago, when he fell on Saturday and suffered a serious head injury.

The federation said Franzoso died in a Santiago clinic after the accident, which left him with a cerebral edema, or accumulation of fluid in the brain.

"This is a tragedy for the family and for our sport," FISI president Flavio Roda said.

"It is absolutely essential to do everything possible to ensure that such incidents never happen again."

Franzoso had been in Chile since September 6 training wi

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