Alex Thomson’s participation in his second Barcelona World Race was thrown into doubt yesterday afternoon after it was revealed that the British skipper had undergone an emergency appendectomy.

Thomson had been complaining off a niggling lower stomach pain and met with the race’s medical officer Dr Frances Bonet of Barcelona’s Teknon Clinic. After examination he underwent a laproscopic appendectomy within two hours of being admitted.

“I think right now he has just undergone surgery with two days to the race and I think it is highly improbable he will be starting the race.” Stewart Hosford CEO of Alex Thomson Racing said.

“This morning I took Alex to the Teknon Clinic here in Barcelona. He was in extremely good health but complaining of stomach. He was diagnosed by our medical friends at the clinic and surgery was performed. It is now complete. For me I would also like to say that we are very happy that it has happened now, today, and it did not happen in the middle of the ocean. That could have been very, very serious.”

Dr Bonet explained: “Yesterday he felt some pain in the lower stomach and we were around here and we had a few moments to see him and recommended that he come in to see us this morning. And we proceed with a CT scan and some procedures. Hopefully the diagnosis was done very early and the surgery was done two hours later. He is in good spirits and is recovering well. Our diagnosis was confirmed. And now he is recovering well in our hospital.”

“I think there are many different possibilities and at the moment our concern is for the health of Alex,” added Stewart Hosford. “We will meet as a team with our friends in the race organisation and discuss what all of the possibilities are. We will hopefully make our decision and announce it tomorrow at one o’clock.”

“Firstly we need to look at it together as a team, and secondly discuss it with the race direction and with Alex and myself and we make a decision. As the director of the team the decision rests with me. I think we are actually quite lucky with this scenario. We would rather it not had happened at all, but it is fortunate it did while he was here. And I think that if you start worrying about luck in this game then you are nowhere.”