The 62-year-old is in stable condition and will undergo surgery after breaking his right fibula. - Photo/ Reuters
An athletic official broke his leg after being hit by a hammer thrown by Kuwaiti athlete Ali Zankawi during the event at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, last Saturday.
The official, known as Huang Qinghua, was sitting on a chair outside the throwing circle when Zankawi's attempt was disallowed after his hammer hit the protective netting.
However, the metal weighing more than seven kilograms hit Huang's right leg.
He was stretchered out and received emergency treatment at the scene, before being taken to hospital.
The 62-year-old man is in stable condition and will undergo surgery after fracturing his right fibula, Chinese state media said.
Zankawi, a silver medalist at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, told AFP he visited Huang in hospital on Sunday and apologized.
"I saw the hammer bounce off the ground at the officer's feet, so I immediately ran towards him and tried to help him who was in a state of shock and pain.
"After I got to him, I saw blood coming from the leg, and I knew it was broken.
"Then I tied him tightly to stop the bleeding until the ambulance arrived. I helped put him on the ambulance stretcher to take him to the hospital," he said.
