The B.C. Coroners Service has concluded a Georgian athlete's inexperience on the high-speed luge track led to his death in Whistler just hours before the opening of the 2010 Winter Games.
On Feb. 12, 2010, Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, lost control of his sled during a practice run, was thrown from the track and collided with a metal pillar. He died instantly.
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Inexperience Blamed in Death
Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia comes around the 15th turn during the second Men's Single Luge training run at the Whistler Sliding Centre ahead of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics on February 10, 2010 in Whistler, Canada. The B.C. Coroners Service has concluded a Georgian athlete's inexperience on the high-speed luge track led to his death in Whistler just hours before the opening of the 2010 Winter Games.
Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
AP
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The B.C. Coroners Service launched an investigation into his death, examining numerous factors related to the athlete, his sled, the track condition and design, training and preparation, and the circumstances surrounding the fateful training run.
Coroner Tom Pawlowski's report, issued on Monday, concluded Kumaritashvili died from multiple blunt force injuries, but blamed the accident on several factors, including the speed of the track and Kumaritashvili's inexperience.
"The relative lack of experience of Mr. Kumaritashvili had on this challenging track set a backdrop for the incident and was a significant disadvantage, as far as safety was concerned, for the athlete entering the high pressure environment of the Olympic Games," he wrote.
The report also contained an extensive review of the construction and operation of the track and made three recommendations to enhance safety not only at the Whistler track, but also at luge tracks around the world.
Those recommendations were for an independent safety audit to review the operation of the Whistler track, for tighter standards for the design and construction of tracks internationally, and for more compulsory training on newly constructed tracks for athletes before major events.
