Luge Competitor Dies in Practice at Winter Games

**scottishvike** · 02-12-2010, 05:55 PM

Georgian luge competitor dies in practice at the Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver opened under a pall last night after a Georgian athlete was killed in a training accident on a luge track said by many competitors to be too fast and too dangerous. Nodar Kumaritashvili, aged 21, died after losing control of his sled on the final turn at Whistler mountain. Officials immediately closed the track, which has been the subject of numerous complaints in recent days as well as a dozen crashes.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/feb/12/georgian-luge-competitor-killed

Tragic is an overused word in sports reporting, this is a real tragedy, so sad.

**gregair13** · 02-12-2010, 06:08 PM

I saw the video. And I hope that I never have to see it again.

RIP to the young man. Thoughts and prayers with the family.

**scottishvike** · 02-12-2010, 06:15 PM

gregair13 wrote:

I saw the video. And I hope that I never have to see it again.

RIP to the young man. Thoughts and prayers with the family.

I only saw some pictures and they were bad enough, that's why I linked to a news story that doesn't have them. I know this is the age of reality TV but I have no desire to ever see the video.

**Erinnn** · 02-12-2010, 07:16 PM

gregair13 wrote:

I saw the video. And I hope that I never have to see it again.

RIP to the young man. Thoughts and prayers with the family.

As soon as the graphic content warning came up I turned it off. I have no desire to see that.

My thoughts are with his family, friends and teammates.

**BadlandsVikings** · 02-12-2010, 08:58 PM

hmy:

hmy:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/assetid=2ca3100e-8ea7-4d6c-a551-32581fb2e37c.html#zoeggeler+crash

**Jilly** · 02-12-2010, 09:30 PM

BadlandsVikings wrote:

hmy:

hmy:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/assetid=2ca3100e-8ea7-4d6c-a551-32581fb2e37c.html#zoeggeler+crash

After seeing the video, I doubt that even if the steel support beams were padded, that he would have survived that accident.

Very sad...

**VikingMike** · 02-12-2010, 10:16 PM

Yes, very sad. 90 mph, very little protection...RIP.

**Rockmolder** · 02-13-2010, 08:46 AM

It's absolutely horrible that something like this has to happen before they finally start listening to the lugers about this course being too fast and dangerous.

This is a tragedy.

**Rockmolder** · 02-13-2010, 09:07 AM

Officials Say Athlete, Not Track, Caused Crash

By Jonathan Abrams

WHISTLER, British Columbia — The crash that resulted in the death of the luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili was caused by his errors on the course and not a deficiency in the Whistler Sliding Centre course, the Olympic organizing committee and the sport’s international governing body said in a joint statement issued late Friday...

**Marrdro** · 02-13-2010, 10:35 AM

Such a waste.

Anyway, thanks for the read Rock. They were talking about that very issue either on ESPN or on the "Opening Ceremony" show last night.

Not sure why they would build such a tough course if they knew that the number of "inexperience" sliders would be so much bigger than the experienced guys.

No need to make it so hard. The "less experienced" would still have to make a perfect run to even get close to the times the "experienced" guys would post without the risk.