Georgian luge competitor Nodar Kumaritashvili dies after 95MPH Crash

A luge competitor has died after leaving the track at high speed during Winter Olympic training in Canada.
Georgian Nodar Kumaritashvili was given emergency resuscitation treatment at the Whistler Sliding Centre.
His sled left the Olympic track and smashed into a steel pole. An Olympic official confirmed he had been killed.
Training was immediately suspended after the accident, which happened just hours before the opening ceremony of the 21st Winter Games in Vancouver.
Kumaritashvili's sled struck the inside of the track's final turn, sending his body into the air and over a concrete wall.
His sled remained on the track, and the visor from his helmet appeared to continue down the ice.
"Georgian slider Nodar Kumaritashvili has had a serious crash in the final run of official training for the men's singles on Friday," said an official statement.
"He fell out of the track when he crashed. He was treated on site by medical staff who administered CPR, and was then taken away in an ambulance."
German International Olympic Committee official Thomas Bach later confirmed he had died as a result of his injuries.
The track at Whistler, which is shared by the sports of luge, skeleton and bobsleigh, already has a reputation as one of the fastest - and most dangerous - in the world.
In the build-up to the Games several teams had raised concerns about the safety of athletes, who regularly exceed 90mph as they compete.
Before Kumaritashvili's crash, British skeleton slider Amy Williams told BBC Sport: "I just hope Whistler is safe and that there aren't too many crashes and serious injuries."
Australia's Hannah Campbell-Pegg added: "I think they are pushing it a little too much.
"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."
Their comments followed earlier accidents, including one involving gold medal favourite Armin Zoeggeler of Italy and several during women's luge training runs on Wednesday.
Among those to crash was Romania's Violeta Stramaturaru, who was knocked unconscious for a few minutes and taken to hospital.
British skeleton's performance director, Andi Schmid, said a lack of track time for athletes in the run-up to the Games had increased the risk of accidents.
"I would say especially for speed sports you need to have more access to tracks and whoever organises the Olympics needs to offer that," said Schmid during preparations for the Games.
"Not only so that everyone has a fair chance but also because of the danger. We need to be careful so that these sports stay great action sports and don't become dangerous killer sports.
"I'm not saying that will happen but some athletes from other nations are less experienced."
Kumaritashvili competed in five World Cup races this season, finishing 44th in the world standings.
Members of the International Luge Federation were asked to attend a briefing following the crash, and team captains from each nation attended an emergency meeting.

:(

tragic start for the games

Not pleasant viewing.....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/12/nodar-kumaritashvili-cras_n_460474.html

Horrible Video, no hope in hell of anyone surviving that.

Exactly :(

Had no real hope once he went too high on the corner, a freak accident but it looked all too simple once he'd made the mistake

THE video has been banned by the olympic commitee when can it be viewed

:(

if anyone finds another link post it

All those pillars seems like he hit one, looks like a bloody death trap to me

buzzfeed has it

thanks for the video link, seems like no chance at that speed

That's bad :(

that course must be banned from holding any events

unbelievable that huge concrete posts can be so near

RIP :(

why are those steel poles there !!

surely this was an accident waiting to happen

very sad for the young man, just a year older than me, tragic news

Very sad news.

Apparently the event will go ahead after it was ruled that the crash was not due to a deficiency in the track but due to a "competitor error". Surely the question that should be asked is not the cause of the crash, but the cause of the death? ie. was the fact he hit an uncushioned steel post an irrelevance? When a car leaves the track in motor racing the authorities don't just wash their hands of the driver's life because he should have braked a bit earlier.

The show must go on $$$$$$$$$$

Horrendous crash,I notice as in motor racing "died on the way to hospital" thus ensuring no inquest of the track.RIP.

According to the ad for the video game, pain is temporary. They should look at changing their ad.

track designers should be charged with murder. a row of unpadded metal poles coming straight off a corner? ffs

Any workin link to see it?

Seems a bit macabre wanting to watch it - the guys flown at the speed you'd travel down a motorway into a solid post. Why would you want to watch that?
In pursuing his Olympic dream he's ended up dead.

surely the track should be designed so that's it's virtually impossible to leave the track even if you make a major mistake ?

That's what you'd think, let alone smash into some metal posts

i watched it to better understand what happened, and having watched it, i think its a very poor mistake from whoever passed it as safe. as others have said, motorsport learned the lesson 30+ years ago about having solid objects like trees or steel poles next to where the competitors are doing 95mph. i just hope there are steps taken to make sure this cant happen again.

Surely it would be possible to have some kind of see-through cover over the top of the track to make it impossible to leave the track? If you get it so badly wrong your time will reflect that. No need for people leaving the track, especially if concrete and metal pillars so close.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ltAGuuru7Q

RIP

The statement from the organisers effectively states that they bear no responsibility for anything happening after a competitor has left the track. From the statement put out one could be forgiven for concluding that the investigation ceased at the point at which he left the track.

Which, considering he was presumably still fully alive at that point, seems somewhat remiss.

I just hope that the often observable phenomenom of "freaks" happening in 2s or 3s (Barrichello, Ratzenburger, Senna at San Marino) doesn't repeat itself.

THe link above didnt work for me here is another one

http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ktxl-news-georgianluger-write2,0,6397786.story

RIP

shocking design, its scandalous that they can fly out of the track like that and into concrete posts mounted feet away!

Just saw this on the news... they said the track has been modified to try to make it safer... but surely having sharp-cornered metal poles right beside the track is crazy?

http://www.fox40.com/sports/chi-100212-luge-crash-pictures,0,3071134.photogallery

all ive seen is that they are starting from the womens start point

That boy deserves credit for giving it a go when he was clearly terrified
nads of steel

have slightly changed the corner as well, higher wall and change of ice angle or something I think they said on Eurosport.

very sad

I'm so angry about this....people responsible for the course have blood on their hands

yeah, im no moaning daily mail reader, but if its true that the home nation limited the number of practice runs for other nations to 10% of theirs, that is not on (not saying it caused it directly, but still - in a sport where safety is paramount they should not get away with it)