Swiss government officials and sports experts are set to create a label that would guarantee that 'adventure sports' organizers operate according to predetermined safety standards.

Forty members of Switzerland's adventure sports industry, representatives of the ministry for sport and cantonal officials concluded on Monday that such a label was necessary countrywide.

The need to guarantee the quality of companies offering outdoor activities containing an element of risk has become of paramount importance.

The considerations follow a heated debate in Switzerland about the future of so-called adventure sports - in particular canyoning.

A Swiss court charged eight employees of the now-defunct 'Adventure World' canyoning company earlier this month with manslaughter through negligence.

The charges followed a 1999 canyoning disaster near Interlaken in which 21 people died.

A flash flood in the Saxet Gorge in July swept away a group of mainly Australian tourists.

A spokesman for the ministry for sport said that preparations to devise a safety label should begin as soon as possible.

The recommendation is the result of a workshop last week.


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