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02-12-2010, 08:24 PM
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Already a Death in the 2010 Olympics
News Article: Tonight is the XXI Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, live from Vancouver, British Columbia. Opening Ceremonies are typically filled with celebration and excitement. But this Olympic Opening will have a shadow looming over it. This afternoon, 21-year-old luger Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia lost control of his sled during his training exercise, went over the track wall and struck an unpadded steel pole near the finish line of Whistler Sliding Center. He was unable to be revised by doctors and paramedics on scene, and died at the hospital, according to the International Olympic Committee. IOC President Jacques Rogge spoke tearfully at a news conference, saying the death “clearly casts a shadow over these games.” He added, “Here you have a young athlete that lost his life pursuing his passion. 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.” John Furlong, chief executive of the Vancouver organizing committee, added his comments on the tragedy, saying “we are heartbroken beyond words.” There have been discussions for months of the possibility of the track being dangerous. There had been restrictions on access to the facility by nations other than Canada, including the U.S. Some noted that this restriction could lead to a safety issue. Shortly before the accident, German coach and former Olympian George Hackl said he did not believe the track was dangerous. “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,” Hackl said. “My opinion is that it’s not anymore dangerous than anywhere else.” An investigation of the crash began quickly. The remainder of the men’s luge training was canceled for the day, and there’s no word yet if Saturday’s scheduled men’s luge competition will take place. See videos here: http://boston.barstoolsports.com/ran...lled-in-crash/ http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/fla...autoplay=false |