The unnamed official received immediate medical assistance at the scene and was transported to hospital, where he is being treated for his injuries.

He was struck by a forerunner, a manned bobsleigh that runs the track before the competitors' training heats, between the exit of the final curve and the finish line. 

It was Bach, during a tour of the Main Press Centre here, who revealed the extent of the official's injuries.

"We have just been informed that there was an accident near the braking zone and that a worker was hit," he said.

"It is unclear why he was in this zone or what exactly happened.

"The information we have so far is that he suffered two compound fractures in the legs, but arrived conscious at the hospital."

An official statement from Sochi 2014 said. "During today's official bobsleigh training session and according to standard procedure, a warning signal was given ahead of the forerunner's bob beginning its run on the track.

"Near the braking zone, the forerunner's bob collided with an icemaker.

"The worker was injured, received immediate medical assistance on the track and was then taken to hospital.

"The reasons for the icemaker's presence on the track after the warning signal are currently being determined."

The two-man bobsleigh training session resumed after a delay while the track's safety was assessed and damage to the overhead lighting repaired.

Forerunner bobsleighs are used to test track conditions prior to training or racing.

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