Olympic luger Nodar Kumaritashvili dies after crash

[Jolie Rouge]

IOC confirms Olympic luger dies after crash
By Stephen Wilson, Ap Sports Writer
23 mins ago

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – A men's Olympic luger from the country of Georgia died Friday after a high-speed crash on a track that is the world's fastest and has raised safety concerns among competitors. A tearful IOC president Jacques Rogge said the death hours before the opening ceremony "clearly casts a shadow over these games."

Nodar Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled during training, went over the track wall and struck an unpadded steel pole near the finish line at Whistler Sliding Center. Paramedics and doctors were unable to revive the 21-year-old luger, who died at a hospital, the International Olympic Committee said.

"We are heartbroken beyond words," said John Furlong, chief executive of the Vancouver organizing committee.

Before speaking at a news conference, Rogge took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes and said, "Sorry, it's a bit difficult to remain composed."

"Here you have a young athlete that lost his life in pursuing his passion," Rogge added. "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."

Rogge said he was in contact with Kumaritashvili's family and officials from the Georgian government. Georgia's Olympic committee was deciding whether to remain in the games, Rogge added.

An investigation into the crash started quickly, although Rogge said this was not the time to talk about it. The men's luge competition is to begin Saturday afternoon. Officials at the Whistler track were uncertain if the schedule would be affected.

Rescue workers were at Kumaritashvili's 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.

The first sign Kumaritashvili was truly in trouble came only three seconds before the crash on Curve 13, the most perilous turn. His speed of 89.4 mph — his best during six training runs on this track — almost certainly means he had never gone faster.

Kumaritashvili's line — as the path is known in luge — entering the next-to-last curve had him traveling along a higher route than most racers prefer. That's where it got especially dangerous. His 176-pound body was no match for the gravitational forces along that sweeping turn. That, plus the high rate of speed, sent him careening up the high, banked, ice-covered wall.

Sliding diagonally down the wall, Kumaritashvili hit the corner entering the final straightaway with his lower body. The impact knocked him off the sled and flying across the track, his arms and legs flailing.

After smashing into the pole, he was motionless on a metal walkway. His left leg was in the air and his left foot was propped atop the track wall when the first rescue worker arrived and placed both hands on his helmet.

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

The danger of the Whistler track has been talked about for months — particularly after several countries, including the U.S., were upset over access restrictions for everyone but Canada, with some noting it could lead to a safety issue.

Kumaritashvili is the fourth competitor to die at the Winter Games and the first since 1992.

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

Shortly before the accident, Hackl said he didn't believe the track was unsafe.

"People have the opinion it is dangerous but the track crew does the best it can and they are working hard to make sure the track is in good shape and everyone is safe," he said. "My opinion is that it's not anymore dangerous that anywhere else."

Five-time Olympian Mark Grimmette, chosen as the U.S. team's flag bearer, said the speeds on the track are pushing the boundaries of safety.

"We're probably getting close," he said Thursday. "This track is fast and you definitely have to be on your game. ... So it's definitely something they are going to have to take into account on future tracks."

American luger Christian Niccum crashed during a World Cup event in Whistler last year.

"When I hit that ice going 90 mph it turns into fire," Niccum said Thursday. "I remember coming around to the finish and I just wanted to rip off my suit, 'I'm on fire. I'm on fire.'"

This was Kumaritashvili's second crash during training for the games. He also failed to finish his second of six practice runs, and in the runs he did finish, his average speed was about 88 mph — significantly less than the speed the top sliders are managing on this lightning-fast course.

It was unclear how fast Kumaritashvili was going, although many sliders have exceeded 90 mph on this course. 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.

Representatives from the three U.S. sliding federations were to release a joint statement later Friday. American athletes were not immediately made available for reaction after news of the death was confirmed.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the Georgian Olympic team," U.S. bobsled pilot Steven Holcomb said on Twitter. "The sliding community suffered a tragic and devastating loss to our family today."

"RIP Nodar Kumaritashvili," wrote American skeleton athlete Kyle Tress, who did not qualify for the Olympic team. "Let's never forget how dangerous these sports can be."

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."

At the 1992 Albertville Games, Nicholas Bochatay of Switzerland died after crashing into a snow grooming machine during training for the demonstration sport of speed skiing on the next-to-last day of the games. He was practicing on a public slope before his event was to begin.

Australian downhill skier Ross Milne died when he struck a tree during a training run shortly before the 1964 Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria. British luger Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki also died in a crash during training in Innsbruck.

At the 1988 Calgary Games, an Austrian team doctor, Jorg Oberhammer, died after being hit by a snow grooming machine.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/oly_lug_l...NvbmZpcm1zbw--

They showed a clip on the news ... it was bad... steel post at 80 mph was going to be fatal "unpadded" or not. So sad....

[Advertisement]

[sunflowers]

here is his run....shows his death..very sad

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/ass...ic+crash+video

[ealyin123]

I read this on people.com hours ago. Was tragic and sad story.

[dv8grl]

Poor kid.
Looked like he went instantly.

[krisharry]

so sad.

[SLance68]

I heard on Sportscenter this morning on ESPN they think he died instantly. I was just so surprised that someone could fly off of that course and that there were actually poles that were not padded near that course.

[Jolie Rouge]

I heard on Sportscenter this morning on ESPN they think he died instantly.

I saw the hit when they showed the clip - I don't see how he could have survived. He struck with the full force on the back of his neck.

I was just so surprised that someone could fly off of that course and that there were actually poles that were not padded near that course.

Padding would not have made a difference - he went flying off at 89 MPH. They should have closed that curve so that if they lost controll they would be contained in the tunnel. Poor guy ... a marytr to the drive to make everything bigger ... badder.. faster ... more extreme.


----


Sat Feb 13, 2010 2:37 pm EST
Should NBC have shown video of Nodar Kumaritashvili's death?
By Chris Chase

When NBC kicked off its coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics on Friday night, it was with a much different introduction than originally planned. The broadcast started at 7:30 p.m. ET with a somber intro from Bob Costas and Matt Lauer that detailed the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvil earlier in the day. It was a respectful and necessary decision, but far from the triumphant opening sequence that was doubtlessly in the can.

After a brief description of the tragedy from Costas and Lauer, the pair sent it to NBC News anchor Brian Williams, who delivered a lengthy report on the death. At the start of the piece, Williams warned viewers that "the pictures are very tough for some people to watch," but he spoke for just a few more seconds before video of Kumaritashvili's final run began. So when the video opened with a shot of the 21-year-old waiting in the gate before his training run, it was a bit jarring. It became more so when the video jumped ahead to the horrific crash, which was shown in slow motion. Seconds later, a longer, slower shot was shown. A still photo of Kumaritashvili receiving CPR was also broadcast. During the eight-minute report that opened the show, NBC showed the crash three times, the final two of which lingered on shots of the Georgian's body.

Other than the initial airing of the video, everything else seemed gratuitous. Showing Kumaritashvili in the gate 48 seconds before his death was eerie, and the photo of him getting attended to by first responders was the definition of macabre. He was already dead. What is the news value in showing him futilely receiving CPR?

Though it's been written that airing the clip was a sensationalistic ratings grab, it was a perfectly acceptable decision (even if it's at 7:30 p.m. ET in a program geared toward family viewership). Still, it's safe to say that a vast majority of the 38 million Americans who were watching the Opening Ceremony hadn't yet seen the gruesome clip of Kumaritashvili flying off the course and crashing into a metal pole. Was a brief warning that suggested only "some people" would find it tough to see enough?

Before we vilify NBC, let's recognize that they were in a difficult spot. If they didn't show the video, people would be complaining that the network was protecting its asset (the Olympics) and not providing detailed coverage of an important story. That wouldn't be gratuitous, it would be bad journalism. Overall, the network handled a bad situation in a professional way.

NBC was right to cover the story, and showing the video was a necessary news decision. The network, which usually holds a tight grip on Olympic footage, even released the tape to other news organizations because "this was a significant news event." However, showing it three times at the beginning of coverage without an adequate warning and then airing a picture of a lifeless body getting medical attention was irresponsible.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/van...urn=oly,219497

[gmyers]

I saw his dad and I felt so sorry for him. He said he doesn't want to see the news coverage of when he crashed. I hope no one else gets hurt or killed during the Olympics.

[Jolie Rouge]

I can't imagine ... to know that your precious child died and it is being played over and over. I found it disturbing. They played it three times ... once in "stop action" so I doubt he felt any pain or realized what happened it went so fast.

[Jolie Rouge]

Designer shocked by luge death
Sat Feb 13, 2:13 pm ET

FRANKFURT – The man who designed the Olympic luge course on which a Georgian slider was killed says he is surprised by the death and track walls may have to be raised, an opinion shared by a three-time Olympic champion. "We've already designed six Olympic courses," designer Udo Gurgel told Sport-Bild magazine's online edition. "No one has been thrown from the track before."

Nodar Kumaritashvili crashed at nearly 90 mph coming out of the final turn in training Friday at the Vancouver Games.

Gurgel said the usual speed at the finish is under 75 mph, and "normally every slide should be under control. He must have been shot out like a bullet.

"Now one should think how the course can be altered," he said, suggesting one possibility that the wall be raised about 15 to 20 inches.

Georg Hackl, Germany's former three-time luge champion, agreed. "They have to put high wooden boards there, then the luger doesn't fly off but hits the plank, falls back to the track and slides down," Hackl told the online edition of the Tagesspiegel newspaper.

Hackl said a small driving error and not the speed of the track was to blame. "It's a track that's significantly faster than any other tracks that we know," Hackl told the newspaper. "At the beginning, it was a great challenge for the athletes. But it's their job to master these demands. And they have. They all have the track under control, including the Georgian. Such a tiny driving error, it can happen."

"He simply was too late coming into the final curve," he added. "What happened was something that no one in the luge world could have imagined for possible."

Hackl said luge specialists assume that the competitors who crash will remain on the track and not fly off. "In luge accidents are part of our daily routine. In the run before, Armin Zoeggeler, the world's best luger, had a spectacular crash. That's normal. You stand up, shake yourself and ride again.

"We assume that those who crash will stay on the track and we don't pay too much attention to the structures outside the track."

Hackl said the decision to have the men begin from the women's start was made "to please those who don't know anything about the sport."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100213/..._luge_designer



Olympians slide with heavy hearts
By Tom Withers And Tim Reynolds, Ap Sports Writers 1 hr 35 mins ago

WHISTLER, British Columbia – Someone had to be first, and it was Tony Benshoof.

Overlooking a labyrinth that claimed the life of one of his competitors a day earlier, Benshoof, the top U.S. medal hope in men's luge, drew a breath of mountain air, secured the visor over his face and dropped down this elevator shaft of ice not knowing what to expect.

He glided to the bottom, slower but safer. And that's all that mattered.

The Olympic sliding track, slightly modified to make it less perilous and more than 5 mph slower for racers, reopened Saturday less than 24 hours after Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died in a horrifying crash not likely to be forgotten by anyone who witnessed it on Blackcomb Mountain or on television.

For Benshoof, there was no time to mourn. "Unfortunately, there was a terrible tragedy," said Benshoof, a three-time Olympian competing with at least three herniated discs, plus an aching foot from a brush with the Whistler track wall on Friday. "But at the end of the day we have a competition to go through and I tried to put it all out of my head."

That was almost impossible.

Reminders of Kumaritashvili's death seemed everywhere — from the reconfigured final curve and raised wall, to the black tape stuck to the helmets of some athletes. Flowers were left by the base of a steel beam that he struck near the 16th turn. There was also a card with the inscription, "Just like gold, your dream will live forever."

A moment of silence was held before the first heat of the men's competition in memory of Kumaritashvili. His photo was displayed on a video scoreboard. "It's still fresh in our hearts," said Shiva Keshavan from India. "We're not able to compete with that same joy."

Kumaritashvili's teammate, Levan Gureshidze, did not race. He was on the official start list for the first heat but withdrew.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge attended the competition with Vancouver organizing chief John Furlong.

Before Benshoof pushed down the starting ramp and cleanly navigated through the 16-turn course, luge officials announced the men would begin at the women's start, a decision they hoped would reduce speeds and lessen the chance for accidents.

International Luge Federation officials said the start change for the men — three turns below normal — was made with the "emotional component" of athletes in mind following the death of the 21-year-old from the former Soviet republic.

It wasn't the only switch: Later, officials said the women's and doubles competitions will start even lower, at the junior start position, between the fifth and sixth curves.

The men began their two-day competition with a clean first heat, with all 38 racers completing their runs.

Italy's two-time defending gold medalist, Armin Zoeggeler, who crashed on Friday not long before Kumaritashvili's fatal spill, was third after the first heat, behind Germans Felix Loch and David Moeller. Benshoof was seventh.

Kumaritashvili was nearing the finish line of his sixth practice run and a day away from competing in his first Olympics when he lost control of his sled in turn 16, was propelled through the air and slammed into an unpadded steel support pole at nearly 90 mph.

The spot where he lost his life looked very different on the first official day of the Vancouver Games as track officials, following an investigation and concern about the track's safety, had the exposed steel beams covered by a 12-foot-high wooden wall. Others were wrapped with padding.

The contour of the final, sweeping turn, nicknamed "Thunderbird" was also changed as workers shaved the thick ice to stop racers from drifting too high onto the curved walls, increasing their chances of crashing.

While all the changes satisfied IOC officials, they also seemed to be a concession by luge's governing body and Vancouver organizers that the $110-million track, built to be the world's fastest, was beyond what some competitors could handle. "We never said it is too fast," FIL president Josef Fendt insisted.

But even to the untrained eye, it was obvious the lugers were crawling compared to the zooming speeds they reached in the first days of practice.

Not everyone seemed happy. "It's slow," said Austria's Manuel Pfister, who was clocked at almost 96 mph on Thursday. "It's completely different. Yesterday, I was able to slide with the medal ranks, today it's another race. It's difficult for me. Maybe it's now too easy."

The decision to change the start's location seemed to have the desired effect during men's training, the first session on the track after Kumaritashvili's terrifying crash. None of the athletes broke 90 mph after speeds routinely surpassed 95 mph earlier in the week.

"The changes that they made were positive," Benshoof said. "I didn't notice them going down the track itself. Of course, now, with a lowered start, it's significantly slower, significantly easier and significantly safer. Personally, I'd rather go from up top because that's kind of my personality and my driving style. "But I think generally speaking, it was a good decision."

Two women's training runs were completed without a problem in a light rain. Earlier this week, there was a nasty wreck involving a Romanian women's luger and a few other crashes.

Kumaritashvili's death was believed to be the first on a sanctioned luge track since December 1975, the federation said.

"It was very hard," Keshavan said. "All of us had a meeting at the village and thought of how we could remember him, how we could honor his memory, his ideals, what he fought for. Even going down to the opening ceremony, it was hard. Everybody was trying to pull me up saying you still have to cheer up, 'We're all remembering him. We're all together. We have to go on," he added.

It remains unknown if the start positions will be changed for upcoming bobsled and skeleton competitions, a decision that will be made in consultation with the governing body for those sports and not the FIL.

Romstad said the G-forces generated by Kumaritashvili exiting the 15th curve and entering the 16th and final curve "literally collapsed his body, rendering it difficult to control the sled, which in this case he was not able to do. "Once this happened, he was literally at the mercy of the path of the sled," Romstad said.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100214/...lug_luge_track


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[SLance68]

Thanks Jolie I didn't/wouldn't watch that accident. I do agree that bigger and faster is not always the best. Hopefully they will rethink this track and make it safer.