Beijing Winter Olympics snow blamed for causing horrific competitor injuries

The unique conditions created by Beijing’s artificial snow may be causing injuries among athletes, with some Olympians completely ambushed.

A disturbing catalogue of athletes competing at the Beijing Winter Olympics have already sustained Games-ending injuries just four days into the event.

The unsettling trend has raised questions concerning the human-made snow, which presents a unique set of challenges for competitors used to training on natural snow.

Low snowfall levels in and around Beijing due to climate change left organisers with no choice but to source enough human-made snow for all of the 15 disciplines.

While it was the only practicable option, it may be causing injuries to ill-prepared competitors given its surface varies significantly to what is seen elsewhere in the world.

Artificial snow is typically wetter, harder and denser than natural snow, which makes courses faster for athletes, but also increases their chances of injury if they make a mistake.

China; s fake snow is different to that seen anywhere else in the world. Picture: Fabrice COFFRINI/AFP

“I think we might see more injuries than we normally do because of the course conditions, and potentially, some of those injuries may be even more serious than we would otherwise see because of the amount of speed that the athlete has when they take the fall,” US orthopaedic surgeon Dr Mia Hagen told news site King 5.

“Nordic skiing events, where the skis are set up a little bit differently, that can pose a real danger for the athletes, particularly when they take turns on that icier snow.”

It was estimated the Games would churn through 49 million gallons of chemically-treated water frozen through snow machines, which has environmental consequences of its own.

Among the lengthy list of athletes to have been injured is 24-year-old American alpine skier, Nina O’Brien, who on Monday crashed during the second run of the women’s giant slalom event.

Horrific images of her fall showed in graphic detail how her leg had bent backwards, confirming it had been broken.

Despite the harrowing ordeal, O’Brien was “alert and responsive” afterwards, and was reportedly more concerned her accident had held up the event.

Nina O’Brien took a hard fall on Monday and broke her leg. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images

German alpine skier Dominik Schwaiger, 30, was another athlete injured when he lost control and fell on his back during the men’s downhill on Sunday.

He was shown sliding down the mountain into the safety nets before being taken away on a toboggan with an injured left arm.

American hockey player Brianna Decker, 30, suffered a leg injury during a game against Finland on Thursday after being tripped from behind by Ronja Savolainen in the first period.

Decker was heard crying out in pain across the area and was quickly removed from by medical staff before undergoing treatment at the rink’s facilities.

Short track speed skating competitor Park Jang-hyuk, from South Korea, sustained an injury to his left hand when he was struck by a Chinese athlete from behind after taking a fall during the 1,000m quarterfinal heat.

Athletes who trained on Beijing’s artificial snow in the lead-up to the Games also suffered injuries, including 22-year-old Japanese snowboarder Rina Yoshika who crashed badly during a training run last week.

The world No. 12 snowboarder suffered a spinal injury after falling hard on a jump, putting her out of Olympic contention.

Germany's Dominik Schwaiger was stretchered off the course after crashing during his downhill final. Picture: Joe KLAMAR/AFP

American freestyle skier Kai Owens, 17, sustained an injury to her left eye during a training run last Tuesday but still competed in Sunday’s moguls finals.

The teen’s injury was evident during the competition, which she was ultimately bumped from alongside teammate Hannah Soar.

Channel 7 commentators explained on Tuesday that unlike in Europe, Beijing’s Winter Olympics surface has no combination of natural snow.

“There is man-made snow in Europe of course but there are a lot more natural snow falls that combine. But in China we are seeing all man-made. The crystals change, the texture of the snow changes It makes it quite grippy,” the downhill skiing host said.

“There’s a temperature change today which has added moisture in the snow and sped it up. But all reports say it’s excellent to ski on over there.”