Olympic Luge Tragedy Blamed on “Human Error” and Not Track
February 13th, 2010
Olympics luge tragedy blamed on “human error” and not the track. The luge tragedy in question is when Olympic hopeful Nodar Kumaritashvili slipped within sight of the finish line, went over a wall and struck an unpadded pole. The force of the impact killed him – but not instantly.
Medics tried to treat him, but he died at a trauma center in Vancouver. The luge tragedy happened on the same day of opening ceremonies, leaving many people in shock.
Nodar’s death is the sport’s third during Olympic training. There have been no deaths so far during the actual Olympics.
Yesterday, speculation ensued that the reason for the young man’s death was the track itself. Whistler track has been criticized for being too difficult to manuever.
According to the Associated Press: “There were worries that the $100 million-plus venue was too technically difficult, and a lack of significant practice time by everyone but the host nation’s sliders would result in a rash of accidents.”
It’s sort of ironic that these fears were felt, and yet someone died before the competition even began.
Officials have informed the press that the cause of the Olympics luge tragedy was caused when the competitor was late coming out of the next to last turn, failed to compensate, and then lost control of his sled.
Other Olympians have noted that lugers have to be very calm when they go down the track. You can’t have any jerks or sudden movements, or else you risk losing control. This is what happened during the Olympics luge tragedy.
Source:
