By Gary Anderson

February 14 - Matthew Robinson has undergone emergency surgery in a Barcelona hospital but remains in critical condition after crashing at the IPCAS World Cup Finals in La Molina ©APCAustralian snowboarder Matthew Robinson is reportedly awake and responsive following surgery in a Barcelona hospital but remains in critical condition in intensive care after suffering a serious crash during competition earlier this week.

Robinson suffered critical neck and spinal injuries after he crashed in the finish area at the bottom of the first run in his second race at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Adaptive Snowboard (IPCAS) World Cup Finals in La Molina, Spain on Wednesday (February 12).

The 29-year-old was treated and stabilised by on-site doctors before being airlifted to the Parc Tauli Sabadell Hospital in Barcelona where he underwent surgery to treat his injuries.

But the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) has said that his condition has not changed significantly in the past 24 hours.

Robinson's fiancée and parents are travelling to Barcelona to be with the stricken athlete where they will be met by members of the Australian Paralympic team medical staff, as well as Dr David Hughes, chief medical officer from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), who is also en route to the Catalan city to help coordinate the Australian medical response.

"Our thoughts and best wishes are with Matthew, his family and his teammates as he continues to fight hard in hospital," said APC chief executive Jason Hellwig, who is leading an incident management team, which includes five APC staff and two from the AIS, to connect all the individuals and organisations involved in Robinson's treatment and to provide a central channel for communication.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure Matthew and everyone around him receives the support they need.

"The Australian Paralympic Committee continues to work very closely with medical staff on the ground in Barcelona, as well as the Australian Embassy in Spain, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the AIS to ensure our response is well coordinated and leaves nothing to chance.

"We have received excellent support from our partners to this point, and we have also received a huge amount of well wishes from around Australia and overseas for Matthew and his family."

Robinson crashed at the end of his run on the snowboarding course at La Molina in Spain ©Getty Images Robinson crashed at the end of his run on the snowboarding course at La Molina in Spain ©Getty Images



Robinson has competed in three IPCAS World Cup events this season and created history last month by claiming Australia's first gold medal at Copper Mountain in the United States.

The Melbourne native will continue to be closely monitored by hospital staff in coordination with Dr Hughes.

The APC is encouraging people to send messages of support for Robinson and his family via its Facebook page.

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