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Luge death casts pall over Opening Ceremonies

Story provided by  
National Post
A horrific high-speed crash at the Whistler Sliding Centre cast a grim pall over the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver on Friday night
WHISTLER -- A horrific high-speed crash at the Whistler Sliding Centre cast a grim pall over the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver on Friday night, while raising serious concerns over the safety of the icy track that cost young Nodar Kumaritashvili his life.

The 21-year-old Georgian luger slammed headfirst into a steel pole after being ejected from his sled on the final corner of the 1.37km Whistler course. It is estimated Mr. Kumaritashvili was travelling in excess of 140 km/h. 

Medical personnel were on the scene immediately. They performed CPR on him -- through a plastic tube -- before rushing him to a medical facility in Whistler's athlete village where Mr. Kumaritashvili was later pronounced dead.

Mr. Kumaritashvili's deadly trip came at the conclusion of a week where several competitors in the boblsleigh, luge and skeleton events commented on the extremely fast and technical nature of the Whistler track.

American luger, Bengt Walden, and two-time defending Olympic gold medalist, Armin Zoeggler, both crashed during their training runs prior to the Georgian's fatal spill. Violeta Stramaturaru, a Romanian slider was knocked unconscious in training earlier this week, taken to hospital and later released without complications. 

"I don't think they're going to build more faster tracks than this," Mr. Walden told reporters just moments before the fatal crash. "The (ILF) was almost unhappy with how fast the track turned out to be, but we'll see." 

Officials from the International Luge Federation (ILF) were investigating the crash. They were expected to meet with IOC and VANOC officials Friday night. The B.C. coroner's office was also looking into the crash, and was receiving assistance with the technical examinations at the accident scene from the RCMP. For now, the track remains closed.

Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, appeared visibly shaken when addressing reporters at a press conference in Vancouver after the accident.  
"Sorry," said Mr. Rogge, rubbing at red-rimmed eyes. "It has been difficult to remain composed. It is a very sad day. The IOC is in deep mourning. 

"Here you have a young athlete who lost his life in pursuing his passion. He had a dream to participate in the Olympic Games. He trained hard and he had this fatal accident. I have no words to say what we feel."

Canadian coach Wolfgang Staudinger spoke to a Vancouver Province reporter by phone in the wake of the tragedy. 

"It's terrible," he said. "I'm in shock and I can't really say anything right now ... this is the first time I've seen this. It's very sad. I want to meet with my team before I say anything more."
Mr. Staudinger was asked if the luge event might now be in jeopardy. "Honestly," he said. "Anything is possible." 

Tragedy has marred the Winter Olympics in the past. Two athletes were killed at the 1964 Games in Innsbruck. Australian downhill skier, Ross Milne, hit a tree during training, while Polish-born British luger -- Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypeski -- died after crashing during a trial run on the Olympic course two weeks before the Opening Ceremonies.

The Georgian minister of sport, Nikolos Rurua, said that the seven remaining members of the Georgian Olympic team would compete in the days ahead to honour the man who lost his life.
"[Mr. Kumaritashvili] was a very progressive, a very strong athlete," the minister said in addressing the media in Vancouver. "It was his wish to compete at the Olympics, and he underwent a very rigourous qualifying process. He was 44th in the world rankings."

The Whistler athletes' village was closed to media yesterday. A collection of Danish competitors stood beyond the gates, being interviewed by a collection of their countrymen. They were unaware of the tragedy that had unfolded at the sliding centre, though noted an ambulance had rushed past with sirens blaring a short time before. 

Informed of Mr. Kumaritashvili's death they declined comment. Meanwhile, inside the gates of the village, other athletes were boarding buses bound for the Opening Ceremonies. 
Back in Vancouver, Mr. Rogge was questioned whether the Olympic Games, with its penchant for drawing competitors from far-flung places who might not otherwise compete at the top of their sport, would look at making tracks -- like the Whistler Sliding Centre - easier to navigate in the future.   

"I understand your question," Mr. Rogge said. "I would be ready to debate that with you at the proper time. I am sorry. This is a time of sorrow. It is not a time to look for reasons. That will come in due time."

The B.C. Coroners Service and the RCMP closed the track to investigate the cause of the fatality.  It is unknown at this time how long the run will be shut down.
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