Changes made to Olympic luge track after Nodar Kumaritashvili crash. Saturday, after an investigation into the Olympic luge track changes were made and the track has been declared safe. The men’s course start line was moved forward to the women’s start…about 577 feet which should slow the sliders by about 6 mph. They also built a wall along the area where Nodar Kumaritashvili was thrown over; this was in an attempt to keep the slider on the course. Padding was also added to the medal posts that Kumaritashvili hit Friday.
The luge officials said that that Kumaritashvili’s crash was due to an athlete error, and that the course is safe. The investigation was conducted by the British Columbia Coroners Service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the International Luge Federation. They stated the cause of the accident to be that Kumaritashvili didn’t compensate properly when he came out of the track’s penultimate turn. The luge competition will begin Saturday night as scheduled at the 2010 Olympic Games. See the video below for the announcement.
Joself Fendt, the president of the International Luge Federation said: “The decisions made are to deal with the emotional component of the athletes, to alleviate as best as possible the traumatic experience of this tragic event.”
For more information about the Whistler Olympic luge track, click here.
Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, men’s Olympic luge slider crashed his sled during a luge ride Friday morning and crashed into a pole. Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled and it flew over the wall of the track and into a pole. He was pronounced dead a short time later. He was from the Soviet Republic of Georgia.
To see graphic video of Kumaritashvili's deadly crash, click here.
Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Olympic Games begin Friday in Vancouver. 17,000 people are expected a day in Vancouver and the games will last seventeen days. Whistler’s construction was completed for Olympic Games two years ago and the athletes have had those two years to get ready for the games.
The 2002 Olympic Games were held in Salt Lake City, Utah. People came from around the world to see the games and it was the single largest event that Salt Lake City has ever hosted.
For a complete schedule of the 2010 Olympic Games that will be shown on NBC, click here.
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