Sweden beats reigning world champion Canada to advance to the semifinals in men’s ice hockey
Belgian alpine skier Dries Van Den Broecke only thought of his brother and father when he crashed out of the men’s giant slalom competition and thought he might need medical help.
And the help would not have been too far as his father and brother are two of the 12 foreign doctors on site at the National Alpine Skiing Center, helping the local medical team to ensure that any injuries during the course are remedied as quickly as possible.
Having the family close is a great comfort to the skier, who also competes in slalom on Wednesday. Van Den Broecke, who put Belgium on the alpine map by taking slalom silver at the 2012 Youth Olympics, says he is not the star of the family.
“I’m not the star,” he said. “All the doctors here know them pretty well, so when I walk by they say, ‘Oh, you’re from Belgium, you know Robin, you know Robin?”
His brother, a trauma specialist, but also a former skier in the junior world championships, has already used his knowledge and worked with Swiss skiers Yannick CHABLOZwho broke his forearm and shoulder blade under the downhill of Alpine combined.
Wouter, a member of the International Ski Federation’s Medical Commission (FIS), is, of course, a proud father.
Being here with my two sons is absolutely exceptional. That’s really cool. “