PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - Swedish snowboarder Mans Hedberg will miss the Olympic Big Air competition after being diagnosed with concussion following a nasty fall on his first slopestyle qualifying run on Monday, the Swedish Olympic Committee has said in a statement.
The 24-year-old, who suffered a broken neck in March 2017 but made a rapid return to competition in November, crashed after landing short off the final slopestyle jump and he was removed from the course in a neck brace.
"It was clear early on that Mans had suffered a concussion. It's an injury we take very seriously and that we handle with the utmost care," Swedish team doctor Jakob Swanberg said in a statement, adding that Hedberg had undergone further tests.
"The tests have not given me the result I hoped for, which means that Mans cannot get medical clearance to start the competition," Swanberg said.
The Big Air qualifying runs begin on Wednesday, with the finals due to take place at the Phoenix Extreme Park on Saturday February 24.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
