Australian snowboarder Cam Bolton will be medically transported home to Australia from Italy for further definitive treatment after fracturing his neck and back in training before his scheduled Olympic race. The Australian Olympic team issued a detailed statement on Friday, updating Bolton's prognosis after the 35-year-old suffered the frightening accident before competing in his fourth Winter Games.
Training Crash Leads to Serious Injuries
Bolton suffered a significant crash on Monday while training for the snowboard cross event at the Milan-Cortina Games. He initially woke up the following day with worsening pain in his neck area. After comprehensive medical scans revealed two fractures in his neck and back, he was immediately airlifted from Livigno in the Italian Alps to a specialized hospital in Milan for urgent assessment and care.
Decision for Medical Repatriation
While Bolton was eventually allowed to leave the hospital and move into a hotel room accompanied by his supportive wife, the decision was ultimately made to send him home to Australia following additional scans and consultations. The Australian Olympic medical team has been consulting extensively with expert Australian spinal surgeons to discuss Cam Bolton's comprehensive case management, both medically and holistically.
The official statement clarified: "As a result, a decision has been made that the best and safest line of management is for Cam to return to Melbourne, Australia where he will have further definitive treatment. An expert international medical transfer company will transport Cam to Australia on Monday 16 February accompanied by a specialist retrieval doctor and nurse."
Impact on Australian Team
The serious injury has significantly impacted the Australian men's snowboard cross team. Bolton's long-time room-mate Adam Lambert bowed out in the opening round of competition despite entering the Games on the back of a World Cup victory. Lambert became emotional when discussing his teammate's situation after his race.
"I never want to see a teammate, let alone a friend, go down with such a terrible injury," a teary Lambert said. "He's playing it down but it's hard to watch somebody who you've looked up to your whole life go out like that, and then have to get airlifted to hospital. Yeah, it affected me a little bit."
Additional Australian Athlete Withdraws
Meanwhile, Australian freeskier Daisy Thomas has withdrawn from the big air competition, meaning the 18-year-old will not make her Olympic debut as planned. Thomas suffered a ruptured ACL during competition last November but returned to skiing in time to earn selection for the Milan-Cortina Games.
During slopestyle training in Italy, she landed awkwardly on her previously injured right knee on the last jump of her run, which ruled her out of that specific event. Due to persistent instability in her knee, the 18-year-old was then forced to pull out of the big air competition entirely.
Thomas explained: "After successful management of swelling and return to snow testing, I was confident in myself and my knee that I could still be a fighting contender for the podium in big air. After the first night training another instability episode ensued after several attempts on the big air jump. This is a high risk sport and having to contend with knee instability adds another layer of difficulty."
The dual withdrawals represent significant setbacks for the Australian Winter Olympic team, with both athletes requiring careful medical management and rehabilitation following their respective injuries during the Games period.
