Austrian Athlete Recovering After Baku Bus Accident -- On the Scene

(ATR) The Austrian athlete severely injured in a bus collision at the European Games Olympic Village is in a stable condition, an NOC spokesman told reporters.

Synchronized swimmer Vanessa Sahinovic, 15, suffered multiple fractures and a head injury when a bus mounted a pavement and crashed into the 15-year-old and two fellow athletes on Thursday morning.

Austrian Olympic Committee spokesman Wolfgang Eichler told reporters in the media village that Sahinovic returned to Vienna and was successfully operated on. Luna Pajer also flew back to the capital for treatment.

Amid reports she may have been paralyzed, Eickler said Sahinovic "has a number of broken bones. In about one week, the doctors can tell more about long-term issues."

"Of course it’s a shock. But the synchronized swimming girls decided to compete… to swim for Vanessa," he said.

"That’s also what the doctors are saying. It’s good in order to cope with the whole situation, and that’s probably what the two girls who were transported home would have wanted anyway," Eichler added.

"That’s why we had a team today in the duet qualification."

In the free duet routine preliminary at the aquatics center Friday, Austrian sisters Anna-Maria Alexandri and Eirini-Marina Alexandri finished in fourth.

When asked if the bus incident could have been avoided, Eichler declined to comment.

Earlier in the day, European Olympic Committees president Pat Hickey told ATR that the bus collision had overshadowed the opening ceremony.

Hickey is expected to mention the Austrian athletes in his speech at the opening ceremony, which opens at 21:00 local time.

The 68,000-seat national stadium will stage a show which celebrates the rich culture and history of Azerbaijan.

Written by MarkBisson

Homepage photo: Getty Images

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