Paralympics Australia have lost Para-alpine skier Jonty O'Callaghan from their Beijing 2022 team after he broke a collarbone in a training accident ©Paralympics Australia

Australian Para-alpine skier Jonty O'Callaghan will miss next month's Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games after a serious crash during training left him with a broken collarbone and concussion.

O'Callaghan, who has cerebral palsy, made his Winter Paralympic Games debut in 2018 and was due to compete in all five Alpine disciplines in Beijing with the aim to improve his best Paralympic result, 22nd in downhill.

But the accident last Thursday left O'Callaghan requiring surgery, leaving him insufficient time to recover before the Paralympics start on March 4.

O'Callaghan had been due to fly on from the European training base to Beijing with the rest of the team this Thursday, but told them at an emotional meeting on Saturday that he would be heading back home to Melbourne.

Australia's Para-alpine skier Jonty O'Callaghan is out of the Beijing 2022 Paralympics after breaking a collarbone in a training accident ©Getty Images
Australia's Para-alpine skier Jonty O'Callaghan is out of the Beijing 2022 Paralympics after breaking a collarbone in a training accident ©Getty Images

"That conversation was the probably the hardest I have had to start with anyone," he told Paralympics Australia.

"I didn’t contain my emotions very well.

"It was clearly a very emotional time for everyone.

"We’ve been on the road together for so long - both in terms of the number of years, but also this particular trip.

"It would have been day 93 or 94 for us today.

"Going into the home stretch [towards Beijing], to not be able to see it through with the team is really devastating both for me personally and for my friends on the team."

Speaking from Munich airport just before boarding his flight, O'Callaghan said he was still coming to terms with the accident.

"I think the biggest emotion at the moment is emptiness. 

"I’m obviously very sad but I don’t think the true extent of the disappointment or sadness will kick in until everyone’s over there in the Games environment and competing and on TV.

"That’s when I think it will become real and when I think I will fully digest what’s happened, but at this point, it’s really just a feeling of emptiness."

O'Callaghan’s withdrawal reduces the number of athletes on the 2022 Australian Winter Paralympic Team to six Alpine skiers and two sighted guides, alongside Para-snowboarder Ben Tudhope.

Kate McLoughlin, the Australian Paralympic Team Chef de Mission, commented: "Our thoughts are with Jonty, this is an incredibly difficult situation.

"Elite Alpine skiing has inherent risks, which is one of the reasons why these athletes are so incredible.

"Unfortunately, injuries are part of the sport but there is a sense of great injustice when an injury like this occurs so close to a Paralympic Games."