Via the WJS & AP:
Men’s Olympic luger Nodar Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled during a test run and struck an unpadded steel pole near the finish line at Whistler Sliding Center. Kumaritashvili, of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, died of his injuries, according to an Olympic official with direct knowledge of crash, the Associated Press reported.
The reports are that this is one of the fastest tracks ever and there have been vocal concerns over not allowing International teams enough time to get familiar with the track for luge, skeleton & bobsledding.
UPDATE: After seeing the video of Nodar Kumaritashvili’s accident over & over again, this is pretty disturbing. They’re blaming rider error, but in my opinion you must do everything possible to protect the safety of both the athletes and the spectators. What are your thoughts? Please leave a comment or leave a voice mail at 317-565-4250.
UPDATE #2: Via The Wall Street Journal
Nodar Kumaritashvili, the 21-year-old Georgian luger who died in a training accident hours before the opening of the Vancouver Winter Olympics told his father he was terrified of the track before doing the run that killed him.
“He called me before the Olympics, three days ago, and he said, ‘Dad, I’m scared of one of the turns,’ ” David Kumaritashvili said in an interview at his house in the small mountain town of Bakuriani Sunday.
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