Organizers at the 2026 Winter Olympics have gone to great lengths to ensure athlete safety, from postponing events during sudden weather shifts to conducting constant course checks. Yet on Thursday, those precautions were put to the test when American Nordic combined skier Ben Loomis narrowly avoided a bizarre mishap during the team sprint.

A video from the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games quickly went viral after American skier Ben Loomis struck a leaf blower during his launch from the ski jump start bar. Coming off the 120-meter drop, the equipment clipped his shoulder, slightly tearing his uniform, but he escaped without injury.

The unexpected obstacle didn’t throw him off course. Loomis, alongside teammate Niklas Malacinski, went on to secure a seventh-place finish in the Nordic combined team sprint.

Leaf blowers have become a routine part of ski jumping events, used to clear loose snow from the tracks. Amid blizzard conditions, officials were stationed near the course to keep it clear between jumps. While most had stepped aside in time, one failed to notice that Loomis had already begun his descent.

Commentators on TV broadcasts couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Things could have very easily gone south given the conditions and speed at which he was descending. So much so that SVT’s Peter Jonsson exclaimed, “Geez, it could have ended in horror.”

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Loomis also showed understanding toward the incident, acknowledging that it was an honest mistake. “Unfortunately, one of them was a little bit too late pulling theirs (leafblower) out of the way, but they’re human, and things can happen,” he told Reuters afterwards.

The American Nordic combined skier was reportedly given the chance to redo his jump, but Loomis turned it down due to worsening snow conditions.

“I was still pretty happy with the jump and had the opportunity to take a second jump, but decided that conditions were probably getting worse and it kind of mentally was my competition jump, so I was happy with it,” he explained. Following his effort, he was immediately offered an apology by the organizers.

“It is very regrettable that we had an incident with Loomis,’ competition director Lasse Ottesen said after the event had concluded on Thursday.

“It was good that nothing more happened, but it should not happen. The person has apologized to the jury, and FIS [International Ski and Snowboard Federation] apologizes to the USA.”

Overall, he recorded a distance of 123.5m during the trial run. However, he had to settle for only 116m in the competition run when the incident occurred. His compatriot, Malacinski, recorded a distance of 120m, and collectively it meant that Team USA finished seventh at the end of the ski jump round of the competition.

Coincidentally, the American duo finished seventh in cross-country again. Eventually, they finished 2 minutes 24 seconds behind the eventual gold medalists, Norway, whereas Finland secured the silver medal and Austria took home the bronze medal.

Still, as aforementioned, the Winter Olympics have taken measures to ensure that the safety of the athletes remains the top priority.

The 2026 Winter Olympics make schedule changes

The organizers of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games are pulling out all the stops to keep athletes safe this year. Their careful planning has already proven crucial after a chaotic week on the slopes. Just days ago, snowboarding superstar Mark McMorris took a nasty spill when his board struck a hidden patch of snow. The crash left him with a concussion and pelvic injuries, a harsh reminder of how unpredictable winter sports can be.

In response, officials wasted no time tightening safety measures and staying one step ahead whenever conditions turned risky. That quick decision-making came into play again this week, with incoming weather forcing yet another fast adjustment to the schedule.

“In anticipation of some adverse weather forecasted for the start of next week and in the aim of maintaining a safe and fair competition, men’s and women’s Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games Snowboard Slopestyle qualifications have been rescheduled for Sunday, 15 February,” read a post from the FIS Park & Pipe World Cup’s official Instagram account.

Still, accidents are part of the game. Earlier in the first week, skiing legend Lindsey Vonn suffered a serious setback when her ski pole struck a gate mid-run. She lost control and crashed, ending up with what doctors described as a complex tibia fracture, a severe break in her shin bone that’s tough to bounce back from.

To handle moments like these, Italian authorities and Olympic organizers have built a layered safety system that operates 24/7. Around-the-clock coordination, constant weather tracking, and emergency crews on standby all come together to protect the world’s best athletes as they chase their Olympic dreams.