Polish luger Mateusz Sochowicz said his accident while training on the Olympic track near Beijing on Monday could have resulted in "tragedy" if he had not taken evasive action to try to avoid a closed barrier.
Sochowicz fractured his left kneecap and cut his right leg to the bone after hitting the barrier at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre that will be used for the Beijing Olympics in February.
The 25-year-old, who represented Poland at the 2018 Winter Olympics, said the track team had been slow to react and he had spent half an hour on the ice before being transported to hospital for surgery.