Read opposing arguments from Loyal Homer and Bleacher Fan.
What a tragic way to begin the 2010 Winter Olympics. Georgian luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled after hitting a pipe in a training run, was thrown from it, and then later died in a Whistler hospital from injuries sustained from the crash.
Certainly this is a strange prism through which to see something that should be fun, like an “anticipated event.” But, the sliding track in Whistler has been under suspicion for months, and not solely because of the rumored dangers of the track. Officials also restricted access to the track, making it difficult for lugers to get experience on the track – unless a luger happened to belong to the Canadian team.
The track is designed for lugers to reach speeds upward of 90 miles per hour on runs down the hill. The sharp blades of the luge, and its reactive steering, make movements at high speeds dangerous for even the most seasoned and well-rehearsed athletes. Throw inexperience and limited track time in the mix, and track officials have been downright negligent in how they have managed the training leading up to the event.
Interviews with athletes and team managers after the effects of the accident were publicized revealed anger and frustration about Kumaritashvili’s death specifically because of the correlation between his youthful inexperience (only 21-years of age) and the limited track time. The younger the luger, the less experience they have. The less experience a luger has, the greater the need for track time. Like every other luger, Kumaritashvili was granted only limited access to the track, perpetuating inexperience and leading some to speculate the outcome of the training run on a rainy February 12th could have been different.
That, and the track was downright dangerous… needing construction work the night before the event was scheduled to begin.
Kumaritashvili’s accident came on the heels of another 12 training accidents in the week leading up to the event. Many Olympians are saying the right things in support of the IOC and other governing bodies responsible for athlete safety. However, some apprehension now surrounds the locker rooms of the athletes as they prepare to take on one of the most challenging tracks in the sport’s history.
While inexperience may have played a role in Kumaritashvili’s accident, Armin Zoeggeler, a two-time champion in luge, also had an accident on the track earlier in the day. He walked away, but the lesson was evident – even the best, most experience athletes struggled with Whistler’s challenging course.
Without sounding macabre, the entire world was genuinely sitting in anticipation about the luge events – and will be anticipating other sliding events – at this Olympics because of the additional amount of danger. Say what you want about the human condition, more intrigue surrounds the pending sliding events than it would normally at the Olympics because of the additional level of danger. The folks that watch stock car racing for accidents tuned in for the luge, and will watch other sliding events. While I am not that type of viewer, the pending investigation must be followed through on all the way, and the outcome of the investigation is important to the future of sports safety and governance.
The tragic story of Nodar Kumaritashvili is not yet finished. A sure-to-be-launched full-scale investigation into how the track was both managed and constructed will create furor around other sliding events at this year’s Olympic games. Viewers will tune in to follow this story as it unravels. Despite the sad circumstances surrounding the luge at the twenty-first Olympic games, the luge was the first of a string of sliding events that will be the most highly anticipated spectacle of the Olympics.
Posted by Sports Geek 
