Vancouver Winter Olympics will be remembered as the first Winter Olympics in history in which an athlete was killed. During a luge practice run on the Whistler track, Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed. He was killed by crashing near the bottom of the track and then hitting a pole.
According to Mark Sappenfield, "The Whistler track is the fastest in the world, with lugers hitting speeds of more than 93 mile per hour-six miles per hour faster than the previous world record. What's more, it is also a technical track, meaning that sliders and bobsledders have to make key driving decisions to avoid crucial mistakes or even crashes." Kumaritashvili's crash was not the only one on this course. Earlier that week, the worlds first-ranked luger, Armin Zoeggeler also crashed.
As stated by Sappenfield, "Even before Friday's events, the track had gained the a reputation as perhaps the most dangerous in the world." The lugers nonetheless continue to practice on this track and the competition will still go on even after this tragedy that took place.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Olympics/2010/0212/Luge-death-of-Nodar-Kumaritashvili-shows-danger-of-Whistler-track
