Janusz Tatera, president of the Polish tobogganing federation, told The New York Times that 25-year-old Sohovic had been crippled and broken during a training trip to Beijing’s Olympic track on November 8. He was taken to a hospital on the outskirts of Beijing.
When the organizers tried to negotiate the transfer of the injured athlete to Poland, the Chinese authorities informed them that due to the restrictions on the spread of Covid-19, Sohovich would not be allowed on a commercial flight for another two weeks, Tatera said.
This week, a Polish sleigh rider was transported to Milan by a cargo plane of China’s national airline, Air China, from where it was on its way to Warsaw, the head of the federation said.
Tatera added that Sohovich described the flight from Beijing as very convenient and said that the cargo plane in the cabin was not different from the passenger plane.
The athlete is in the mood to heal his injury quickly and take part in the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Following an injury to a Polish athlete, the International Luge Federation has announced that additional safety measures will be put in place during the Olympics in cooperation with the local track manager.
The Games in Beijing, which start on February 4, will be held under strict Covid-19 restrictions. Among other things, athletes and team members must spend 21 days in a strictly limited training and competition bubble. They can then move more freely.
.
