INTERNATIONAL: The International Olympic Committee says a serious training accident on the Beijing Olympic luge track is under investigation. The IOC has released a statement on Tuesday. It says any conclusions will be implemented in time for the Games in February.

Polish luger Mateusz Sochowicz had successful surgery after fracturing his left kneecap and cutting his right leg to the bone when he hit the barrier at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre on Monday. The Polish Toboggan Sports Association said in a statement that the athlete hit a closed crossing gate that should have been left open. The 25-year-old luger said the track team were slow to react and he spent half an hour on the ice before being taken to hospital.

The IOC's head of the coordination commission for the Beijing Olympics, Juan Antonio Samaranch, which starts on 4 February, expressed support and sympathy for Sochowicz. He says, "The track and the circumstances under which this accident happened are being investigated by both the (luge) federation and the organising committee, very seriously. If there are lessons to be learned, as probably there will, we will implement them and have plenty of time to implement them. The course, according to reviews by both international federations that have used it in recent weeks, has got extraordinary good marks for its safety and its quality.” Samaranch said they need to wait now to see how the investigation goes ahead.

^{PHOTO: NEWS CONFERENCE WITH CHAIR OF BEIJING 2022 COORDINATION COMMISSION JUAN ANTONIO SAMARANCH / STILL PHOTOS OF LUGE ATHLETE MATEUSZ SOCHOWICZ / B-ROLL OF WINTER OLYMPIC VENUES}