Nodar Kumaritashvili, a 21-year old Georgian luger, died today after a crash during a practice run in Vancouver.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/sp...cs/13luge.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100212...nXONKNa0MIO7gF
Incredibly tragic and heartbreaking.
It's a reminder that life is precious and can be lost in an instant. my prayers and thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.
Interesting to read that this course has been talked about all week as being unsafe. It's so sad that it takes something so drastic for a meeting to actually be called:
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. More than a dozen athletes have crashed during Olympic training.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.quotes from this article: http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-feat...sly+hurt+crashTraining 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."
Melissa Hollingsworth, one of our top Skelton racers, has also said that the track's a bit tricky due to the speeds reached on it.
So very, very tragic and my thoughts and prayers are not only w/his family and friends, but the entire Georgian Olympic Team.
This article from before the incident shows that the Canadian organizers are culpable for his death as well as the injuries suffered by other competitors:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-feat...id=409285.html
In a ruthless drive to increase Canada's medal count, the organizers deliberately built a course that is considered dangerous and difficult even by elite lugers, and then gave the Canadian athletes far more time and opportunity to practice on the course. And now this has gone beyond unsporting to inhuman. This taints whatever medals the Canadian athletes will win. There has been a lot of corruption and human rights violations with various Olympic games, but this stands out as one of the most disgusting things a host country has perpetrated.
Latest is that the Georgian delegation may pull out of the Games-I've heard both "may" and "will" used, so I don't know when the decision's being made, though it probably will be by tonight.
I hope they stay in, and that all of the athletes pull out amazing feats of their own in honor of their fallen teammate.Originally Posted by MissIzzy
It's official. The Georgian delegation will not participate.
So does that mean no Olympics for Elene?
R.I.P., Nodar Kumaritashvili.
It was the first thing I saw when I woke up. It's so sad. =(
My heart goes out to his family and friends.
That luge course needs to be slowed down and made safer. Kumaritashvili was just one of many crashes. When gold medal favorites and world class athletes crash at this rate there is definitely a problem. RIP.
Does anybody know why there is no netting around luge and sled courses?
where'd you hear/read that? there's nothing on NBC.com or other news sourcesIt's official. The Georgian delegation will not participate.
So does that mean no Olympics for Elene?
R.I.P., Nodar Kumaritashvili.
(Where did my reply go?)
This is a tragedy, and someone should be held responsible, and if it indeed is the Canadian delegation, then so be it.
There is talk that luge will be canceled as a result of this tragedy, and I think that it should be. It is a shame that even after many athletes said that the track was not safe, it took the death of an olympian for someone to take action.
My thoughts and prayers are with his family, he was only 21 years old. I hope that Georgia does not withdraw, and competes in loving memory of their fallen teammate.
It is very, very sad. But luge is a dangerous sport where the athletes are proud of being the fastest. Who to blame? I really don't know.
To make such a treacherous track is unforgivable. Even today, before Nodar's death, there were several athletes who crashed, including the gold medal favorite Armin Zoeggler (2002, 2006 gold medalist). Huffington Post has the crash video and it's bad.
i saw a picture snapped at the moment he flew off the luge and all i could think of is "WHY ARE THERE NO SAFETY BARRIERS?" there was no padding or fence to keep him from going over that wall. he was just out of control. but he died doing something honorable...representing his country proudly at an Olympics...RIP.
Good question. Safety barriers have become a must after a lot of death crashes in down hill.
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