Olympic star dies aged 26 in Christmas tragedy after avalanche accident

Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger has died in an avalanche accident in Arosa, the Swiss-Ski federation has announced.

The 26-year-old member of the Swiss snowboard cross national team lost her life on Monday.

The tragic incident has been confirmed by Swiss-Ski, who said no further details about Hediger’s death would be released, respecting the wishes of her family and partner.

Hediger had achieved significant milestones in her snowboarding career before her untimely death.

She represented her nation at the 2022 Winter Olympics in China, competing in the snowboard cross discipline.

The Swiss athlete had recently secured her first two World Cup podium places during the current 2023/24 season, marking her most successful competitive period.

Swiss-Ski sport chief executive Walter Reusser expressed the federation’s profound grief over the loss.

“We are speechless and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we express our deepest condolences,” Reusser said.

The federation acknowledged the devastating impact of the tragedy on their community.

“For the Swiss-Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas period. We are immeasurably sad,” Reusser added.

The Swiss-Ski federation confirmed that no additional information about the circumstances would be disclosed, in accordance with the wishes of Hediger’s family and partner.