WASHINGTON – North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum was rushed from playing basketball to the emergency room, just hours before he was set to participate in the inaugural 2024 Republican presidential debate Wednesday.

The 67-year-old suffered undisclosed injuries during a breakout game of basketball with staff Wednesday, according to the campaign.

He was released from the hospital before 10 a.m. and intends to make it to the stage – though it remained unclear Wednesday morning whether he would be able to do so standing up.

Burgum will be the second-oldest of the eight candidates participating in the debate, just behind 72-year-old Asa Hutchinson.

Former President Donald Trump, 77, decided to snub the debate, citing his strong lead in the polls.

“Wishing Doug Burgum well. Looking forward to seeing him on stage tonight,” fellow GOP president candidate Vivek Ramaswamy posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Burgum’s sports injury comes after several Republican presidential candidates have been posting videos online of them engaging in physical challenges in what appears to be attempts to show off their vitality regardless of age.

For example, Hutchinson on Sunday posted a video of himself being launched high in the air on a “slingshot” ride at the Iowa State Fair.

“I made you a promise. I said that if you all helped me reach the debate stage, I would ride the Slingshot at the #IowaStateFair,” he wrote A deal is a deal and I keep my promises,” he wrote on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.

Even the youngest candidate to join the stage, 38-year-old Ramaswamy, has joined the trend.

He posted videos of himself fiercely swatting at tennis balls while shirtless and challenging his wife to burpees at the gym.