Australia’s Olympic team has been rocked with veteran snowboarder Cam Bolton flown to Milan after breaking his neck in training, ending his Winter Games campaign.

Competing at his fourth Olympics, the 35-year-old crashed on Monday (local time) while training for the snowboard cross event at Livigno.

On Tuesday, he woke with worsening pain in his neck.

Bolton was taken for scans, which revealed two fractures. He was then flown off the mountain by helicopter with a team official to have further treatment.

Team chef de mission Alisa Camplin said the popular Bolton was in good spirits despite the seriousness of the injury. He had been joined by his wife.

“Cam wanted to make his teammates understood what was happening and that he was fine and doing well and being looked after well,” she said in Livigno.

“He knows how seriously we’re taking the process of support around him and the communication has been really good.

“I’m proud of the level of care.”

It’s the fourth injury to strike the Australian team. Aerials medal favourite Laura Peel injured her knee at a pre-Olympics training camp, while young freeskier Daisy Thomas also had a knee injury in a fall.

Snowboard halfpipe Olympian Misaki Vaughan was also ruled out of making her debut. She failed an head injury assessment after an incident in training on Monday.

Under the Australian Olympic team’s head injury protocols, the 20-year-old can’t participate for at least a week.

While Thomas withdrew from slopestyle, she hopes to compete in the big air, while four-time Olympian Peel hasn’t given up hope of landing an elusive medal.

“Unfortunately with winter sport injuries happen along the way. In 53 athletes doing relatively high-risk sports, it’s not something that’s unusual I’m afraid to say,” said Camplin, who won an aerials gold medal in Salt Lake City in 2022 skiing on two fractured ankles.

“My heart breaks on their behalf — I know how much work goes into an Olympic dream.”

Camplin said the two-time world champion Peel continued to “make progress”.

“Our aerials team haven’t even arrived yet, so we don’t need to rush her,” she said.

Bolton was the highest-placed Australian men’s snowboard cross rider at the last Winter Olympics in Beijing in 13th place. He also finished ninth in the first team event, alongside Belle Brockhoff, whose own career was ended by serious injury.

Bolton was due to line up in the men’s seeding round on Thursday in Livigno, with the opening round getting under way later that day. He has been replaced by debutant James Johnstone.

-AAP