Only hours before the 2010 Olympic Winter games officially opened, 21 year-old Georgian luge rider Nodar Kumaritashvili violently crashed into a wall during a training run causing him to go airborne and fly into a steel support. He was given CPR immediately but was pronounced dead only moments later. The luge/bobsled course in Whistler, Canada is said to be the fastest ever created. It was estimated that Kumaritashvili was traveling 88 mph when he hit the steel beam. Flags will be flown at half mass for the duration of the games and Kumaritashvili was given a one minute moment of silence during the opening ceremony Friday night. His Georgian teammates decided to compete in the Olympics and were given a standing ovation as they entered the stadium.
Although this is obviously not a luge site, there are many smart and savvy sports fans on CSR with valued opinions, which we love to hear even if it’s not soccer-related. The best lugers in the world are complaining that this course is simply too fast, yet the International Olympic Committee will allow the luge competition to go on as planned. Would this be the case if an American or Brit died in the same situation? I’d put money on NO. A man just lost his life and they’re going to continue the event as if nothing happened. Plain and simple ignorance.
Luge has un-armored human beings rocket down icy embankments at 80 mph. I’m surprised there hasn’t been more deaths! This isn’t a sport, it’s Russian Roulette on ice.
What does Prva Generacija have to say on the subject? Should the Olympics go on with luge or be cancelled? Are there any solutions? What are your thoughts on the crash?
WARNING: CONTENT OF VIDEO IS GRAPHIC – VIEWER DISGRESSION ADVISED
“I shed a tear watching that video. Made me weak at the knees and sick to my stomach. Watching someone live the final moments of their life, whether you know them or not, has got to be one of the most life-changing events anyone can experience.
I overheard something about an athlete dieing earlier in the day, but it wasn’t until I got home that I heard the full story, and saw the painful video.
Sad to say, but young athletes from these ‘less-developed’ countries don’t have access to the world-class facilities that the USA, Canada, and Western Europe have readily available. When the time comes to compete on the big stage, the reality, the competition and the speed of it all can seem a bit overwhelming.
Steel support beams being EXPOSED on a luge track boggles my mind. Apparently, the fatal track design was deliberate to make the track run more accessible to cameras and ultimately TV viewers.
Nothing was more heartbreaking than watching the Georgian team walk out of the tunnel into the opening ceremony. There are no words to describe the hell they have gone through in the last 24 hours.
But they have pledged to compete in honor of Nodar. I cheer for Croatia, I cheer for the US, as well as my birth country Australia, but I really hope Georgia accomplish something amazing in competition for Nodar in these games.”
-CSR’s own Ivica Peroš
Well said!
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Custic's was abysmal – how many players have we seen fly off the pitch onto the tracking where the pitch ends. That wall was only a metre away. Tomislav Juric hardly shoulder charged Custic for that to happen. Juric barely even moved Custic. It didn't take much for that to happen to Custic.
Having researched the problem further it is so ridiculous. Zadar are trying to fit a football ground into a space where there is no place. They are trying to squeeze everything forward just so they don't interfere with the flats behind. They clearly need a new venue, but i personally believe Hajduk sealed their fate this winter by taking away key players and they'll be back in HNL2 next season.
I think Zagreb are gonna catch someone. Medimurje seem to have goals in them whereas Zadar's top scorer only has 4 so to me Zadar looks good for relegation.
The Cutic situation could have been prevented. Nobody has ever seen an athelete fly over the wall in the luge or bobsled, but plenty of players have hit barriers near the soccer field. NK Zadar should have been sued for everything it has or owns.
Now that I have had more time to think about it, this tragedy reminds me of our own tragedy when Hrvoje Ćustić was died after colliding into an un-padded concrete wall along the playing field at Stanovi stadium in Zadar. Just goes to show you that Croatia is very much on the 'other side' when it comes to the poor standards of athletic facilities throughout Croatia.
Ivica is right. The Georgians don't have an equivalent track to compete with Whistler Sliding Centre, the fastest track in the world.
“There was no indication that the accident was caused by deficiencies in the track,” the International Luge Federation and the Vancouver Olympic Committee said in a joint statement.
Yes, there wasn't deficiencies in the track, however, two decades ago you could win Olympic gold by flying down a mountain at 70-75 miles per hour. Now you have to go 90-95.
The track is the deficiency. At some point too much is too much; too fast is too fast. The human body can only handle so much force and pressure.
I had tears in my eyes last night as I felt the pain of the Georgian athletes during the opening ceremony.
While others were complaining about Croatia not getting enough TV coverage 🙂
They need to raise that wall and put some padding on those beams for sure.
I'm in Vancouver, and when I saw the footage (before he hit the beam) I was thinking that the course looked fast. I'm not a luge expert but this thought did come to mind.
It's a risky sport, as are many of the Winter events, all the athletes know this, and are prepared.
The competition must go on. It wouldn't be any different had it been a Canuck or Yankee, the only difference would have been the "media response". Nodar has been honoured and will not be forgotten.
I too, wonder why the beams are there in the first place though. If it's open air, likely he survives.
I shed a tear watching that video. Made me weak at the knees and sick to my stomach. Watching someone live the final moments of their life, whether you know them or not, has got to be one of the most life-changing events anyone can experience.
I overheard something about an athlete dieing earlier in the day, but it wasn't until I got home that I heard the full story, and saw the painful video.
Sad to say, but young athletes from these 'less-developed' countries don't have access to the world-class facilities that the USA, Canada, and Western Europe have readily available. When the time comes to compete on the big stage, the reality, the competition and the speed of it all can seem a bit overwhelming.
Steel support beams being EXPOSED on a luge track boggles my mind. Apparently, the fatal track design was deliberate to make the track run more accessible to cameras and ultimately TV viewers.
Nothing was more heartbreaking than watching the Georgian team walk out of the tunnel into the opening ceremony. There are no words to describe the hell they have gone through in the last 24 hours.
But they have pledged to compete in honor of Nodar. I cheer for Croatia, I cheer for the US, as well as my birth country Australia, but I really hope Georgia accomplish something amazing in competition for Nodar in these games.