updated 12:22 p.m. ET Dec. 11, 2005

ROME - Former Olympic downhill champion Franz Klammer believes skiing has become too fast.

Klammer, who will carry the torch Friday outside Rome on the second day of the Turin relay, said the shape of racing skis should be changed for safety reasons.

“There has to be a limit like in Formula One where they are going from 10 cylinders to eight,” Klammer said Thursday. “Speeds on the straights are way too fast, people are injuring themselves without even falling.”

The Austrian won the downhill gold medal at the 1976 Innsbruck Games.

“Carrying the Olympic spirit is very important to me,” Klammer said. “My results at the Olympics changed my life. I took part in the Innsbruck opening ceremony, and I am just as proud now to carry the torch.”

Klammer met with slalom great Alberto Tomba, who is considered the favorite to light the flame at the opening ceremony Feb. 10 in Turin.

“Everyone dreams of lighting the flame,” Tomba said. “They have asked me to be at the stadium. It’s only right that it’s a surprise.”

Tomba was the first skier to win medals at three Winter Olympics, and Italy has struggled to produce a genuine winter sports star since he retired in 1998.

Tomba said that new local ski stars “are coming,” mentioning Giorgio Rocca, winner of the World Cup season’s first slalom race Sunday.

“Racing at home is a huge responsibility, it’s not easy,” Tomba said of the pressure Rocca and other Italians will face.

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As usual, Austrians will be among the favorites in skiing at the Turin Games. Klammer, however, would like to see Austrian dominance weakened somewhat.

“I’m proud of our team, but it would be better for the sport overall,” he said.

Klammer added that the favorites usually don’t win at the Olympics — “except Alberto and myself.”

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