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A track worker at the Sochi Winter Olympics has been airlifted to hospital after being hit by a bobsleigh.

The icemaker "suffered two compound fractures in the legs, but arrived conscious at the hospital", the International Olympic Committee said.

The accident happened near the braking zone of the Sanki Sliding Center.

The man - whose name was not released - was hit by the forerunner bobsleigh used to check whether track conditions were suitable for athletes.

"It is unclear why he was in this zone or what exactly happened," IOC President Thomas Bach told reporters.

An investigation is now under way.

The Sochi Games organisers said that a warning signal had been given before the forerunner bobsleigh was sent down the track.

Some reports suggest the icemaker - who was using a motorised air blower - may not have heard the warning announcement.

The accident recalled the death of a Georgian luge competitor at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Nodar Kumaritashvili's sled flipped and he smashed into a steel pole at the Whistler Sliding Centre, killing the 21-year-old.