The family of Kai Sakakibara have revealed the Australian BMX rider is improving following his crash in February but will have "some permanent disability" ©Twitter

The family of Kai Sakakibara have revealed the Australian BMX rider is improving following his crash in February but will have "some permanent disability".

Sakakibara was airlifted to hospital on February 8 following his crash at the International Cycling Union Supercross World Cup leg in Bathurst. 

The 23-year-old was transferred to Canberra Hospital and placed in a medically induced coma. 

His family have been posting updates on a web page which is also raising funds for his medical bills. 

They revealed Sakakibara has now left Canberra Hospital and has been moved to the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit (BIRU) in the Australian city of Liverpool. 

"He can respond to simple questions but is still very confused," they said.

"The crash has impacted the part of his brain responsible for speech, so the words are jumbled up and unclear - they just don’t come out how he wants which is frustrating for him.

"So, Kai continues to 'emerge' from the state of unconsciousness, and we are super excited to start communicating with him.

"However, as time progresses it becomes more and more evident that this has been a truly serious injury. 

"The doctors tell us Kai has a traumatic brain injury on the left side of his brain which is severely impacting his ability to move the right side of his body and also his ability to speak amongst other things. 

"We have been told that Kai will have some permanent disability."

Kai Sakakibara is a multiple Oceania BMX Championships gold medallist ©Getty Images
Kai Sakakibara is a multiple Oceania BMX Championships gold medallist ©Getty Images

Sakakibara's treatment has also been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

"The COVID-19 pandemic brings an extra layer of challenges around Kai’s situation," his family said.

"We have to be super careful he does not get the coronavirus, luckily he is in a safe place in Liverpool BIRU. 

"As a family, we are limited to one visitor at a time so we rotate our visits so one of us will be there with him every day."

Sakakibara is a multiple Oceania BMX Championships gold medallist and was ranked 10th in the world when his crash occurred.

He had been eyeing a debut Olympic Games appearance at Tokyo 2020 and lived in Japan for a number of years growing up.

Sakakibara’s younger sister Saya is also an elite BMX rider, with the pair both crowned Oceania champions last year.