Former skier Matthias Mayer is struggling with “health problems”, the Austrian Ski Federation said, after media reports that the three-time Olympic champion was arrested for disrupting a reception at a Kitzbühel hotel. “Today we regret to note that Matthias Mayer has not yet overcome the health problems with which he has been struggling for a long time,” the Federation said in a statement Thursday evening. She declined to provide further details out of “respect” after consulting with Mayer’s family.
This reaction comes after the revelation by Austrian media of the arrest of Mayer, 33, in a hotel in the ski resort of Kitzbühel, where ski World Cup events are taking place from this Friday. A police spokesperson confirmed to AFP that an arrest had been made, but would not confirm the identity of the person.
“The person behaved inappropriately,” the spokesperson said Friday, describing a “minor incident” that should not result in criminal charges. This person has already been released, he added. Austrian Ski Federation general secretary Christian Scherer told public broadcaster ORF that the body would continue to support him and closely monitor his recovery. Mayer collaborated with the Federation as part of the speed team.
Olympic downhill champion in 2014 and super-G in 2018 and 2022, Mayer surprisingly announced his retirement in December 2022, a few minutes before the start of a race in Bormio (Italy). However, he had not ruled out a return if he found “the flame”, he declared in February 2023. In addition to his three gold medals at the Olympics, Mayer also won bronze in downhill in 2022 and has 11 victories in the World Cup. He is the son of Helmut Mayer, super-G silver medalist in 1988 at the Calgary Games.