DEATH AT OLYMPICS

Luger Died when He Went Off the Track During a Practice Run at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics
4 An Olympic luger has died while on a practice run at the 2010 Olympics. Nodar Kumaritashvili died after going over a track wall while ending a practice run on the luge course, and died as a result of the crash. The tragic news comes from the Whistler Sliding Center and really sets a dark cloud over the first day of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The 2010 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony is tonight, and we can expect something like a moment of silence for this accident on the course. The sad news is a really bad way to start these Olympic Games though, and it is so tragic that something like this could have occurred on what was supposed to be simply a practice run.

Kumaritashvili was finishing up a practice run on the luge course when he lost control of his sled near the finish. He went flying over the wall and struck an unpadded steel pole that was on the outside of the course. There is no report as to whether he died instantly, but the tragic news leads many to believe that is what happened. The reported speed of his luge run was estimated at more than 90 miles per hour when he lost control, and it is difficult to walk away safely from a car at that speed, let alone just a simple luge sled. Now this is going to call into question the safety of the course, and there are sure to be some improvements made to the surrounding area.

There had already been reports coming out of the Olympics that this was one of the fastest courses, and some even consider this to be the world's fastest course. It has led to quite a few athletes crashing during practice runs, and that include the gold-medal favorite from Italy (Armin Zoeggeler). There has been no announcement about whether practice will continue later on in the day, or if the competition preparations will be suspended until the weekend or next week. It's definitely a huge tragedy to start of these Winter Games, and we are sure to hear more about this accident as more media outlets get hold of the news that this has just happened up in Canada.






Kumaritashvili killed in luge trainingComment Email Print Share ESPN.com news services

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- A men's luger from the former Soviet republic of Georgia died Friday after a high-speed crash during training for the Winter Games.

The International Olympic Committee said doctors were unable to revive Nodar Kumaritashvili, and the 21-year-old died at a hospital, hours before the Vancouver Olympics' opening ceremonies were to start.

IOC president Jacques Rogge said the death "clearly casts a shadow over these Games."


[+] EnlargePeter Parks/AFP/Getty Images
Nodar Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled Friday, went over a track wall and struck a steel pole near the finish line at Whistler Sliding Center.
Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled, went over the track wall and struck an unpadded steel pole near the finish line at Whistler Sliding Center.

He became the third Winter Olympics athlete to die in training, according to NBCOlympics.com. None has died in competition.

Rescue workers were Kumaritashvili's his side within seconds, chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation started less than one minute after the crash, and he was quickly airlifted to a trauma center in Whistler.

"It is a tragedy for his family and the team," said IOC vice-president Thomas Bach, according to The Vancouver Sun.

Kumaritashvili struck the inside wall of the track on the final turn. His body immediately went airborne and cleared the ice-coated concrete wall along the left side of the sliding surface. His sled remained in the track, and it appeared his helmet visor skidded down the ice.

"It's a very rare situation," three-time Olympic champion and German coach Georg Hackl said before news of Kumaritashvili's death broke, clearly shaken moments after seeing Kumaritashvili tended to furiously by medical officials.

Olympic competition in men's luge is scheduled to begin Saturday. It's unclear if that schedule would be affected.

It was unclear how fast Kumaritashvili was going, although many sliders have exceeded 90 mph on this course. The track is considered the world's fastest and several Olympians recently questioned its safety.


[+] EnlargeAP Photo/Elise Amendola
Nodar Kumaritashvili, preparing for his first training run Friday, became the third Winter Olympics athlete to die in training.
More than a dozen athletes have crashed during Olympic training for luge, and some questioned whether athletes from smaller nations -- like Georgia -- had enough time to prepare for the daunting track.

At the finish area, not far from where Kumaritashvili lost control, athletes, coaches and officials solemnly awaited word on Kumaritashvili before eventually being ushered away. Access to the crash area was closed within about 30 minutes.

"I've never seen anything like that," said Shiva Keshavan, a four-time Olympian from India.

The remainder of men's training was canceled for the day, with VANOC officials saying in a release that an investigation was taking place to "ensure a safe field of play."

Kumaritashvili competed in five World Cup races this season, finishing 44th in the world standings.

Earlier in the day, gold-medal favorite Armin Zoeggeler of Italy crashed, losing control of his sled on Curve 11. Zoeggeler came off his sled and held it with his left arm to keep it from smashing atop his body. He slid on his back down several curves before coming to a stop and walking away.

Training days in Whistler have been crash-filled. A Romanian woman was briefly knocked unconscious and at least four Americans -- Chris Mazdzer on Wednesday, Megan Sweeney on Thursday and both Tony Benshoof and Bengt Walden on Friday in the same training session where Zoeggeler wrecked -- have had serious trouble just getting down the track.

"I think they are pushing it a little too much," Australia's Hannah Campbell-Pegg said Thursday night after she nearly lost control in training. "To what extent are we just little lemmings that they just throw down a track and we're crash-test dummies? I mean, this is our lives."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

RIP

I saw this footage around 3pm.
someone posted it to youtube and it got taken down.
There is video and disturbing photos on huffington post.

I cannot post that crap. google it if you choose.

sad stuff.

WELL ONE THING FOR SURE
SAD BUT TRUE
LUGE RATINGS WILL INCREASE

soundz like it's the track design that's the root of all these crashes

They better find a way to slow it down before someone else gets killed...

Funbag braking system = the new ABS

OH MY GOD I just saw this on CNN VERY GRAPHIC, The damn thing haven't even started yet TOO.

RIP

This was tragic.


So was opening ceremonies.

THE OPENING CEREMONY WAS HORRIBLE
I WAS ENJOYING THE PRE-OPENING SPECIAL
IT IS ONE BEAUTIFUL AREA
THAT BEING SAID
THEY BETTER HAVE SOME LUGE ON TONIGHT


AND WHO KNEW THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN COULD SING