A snowboarding course for the 2014 Sochi Olympics has been altered after a competitor injured himself in a crash.
The decision came after Norwegian boarder Torstein Horgmo, 26, broke his collarbone during practice Monday. Horgmo was attempting a trick on a rail close to the start of the course when he fell on his face and shoulder. He cannot compete in the Olympic due to his injury. “Injuries and falls are part of this sport, but the timing is really bad,” Horgmo said in a statement.
Race directors announced that some jumps would be trimmed on the slopestyle course in response to mounting criticisms from athletes, but denied it was responsible for Moresi’s injury. Roberto Moresi, assistant snowboard race director at Sochi, said Horgmo “was just trying a really hard trick,” the AP reports.
Some competitors complained in a meeting after the first practice that the jumps were too dangerous, while other riders thought the course was fine. The changes to the course are reportedly minor.
[AP]