Probe unable to pinpoint a reason for fatal crash
Source: Agencies |
April 9, 2010, Friday
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Print Edition
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AN official investigation into the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili at the Vancouver Olympics will find no single reason that can explain his fatal accident, a top luge official says.
An International Luge Federation report is set to describe the 21-year-old Georgian's crash on the Whistler sliding track, hours before the games opened on February 12, as a one-off that could not have been foreseen.
"Everybody wants a scapegoat and to say, 'It was that person' (to blame)," FIL secretary general Svein Romstad, the report's lead writer, said. "I think one thing we will see is that it's an amalgamation of a lot of different things. What happened to Nodar was very, very unique."
Kumaritashvili died when he was thrown through the air and slammed into a trackside steel pole after losing control of his sled coming out of the final curve at nearly 145kph.
The federation reopened the world's fastest track the next day on a shortened, slower course with padding on the poles and a new barrier wall in the closing straight.
It is not known if the report will explain why those safety measures were not in place earlier.
FIL initially judged that Kumaritashvili made tactical errors. Ranked No. 44 in the season-long World Cup series, he had taken 26 practice runs at Whistler with 16 starting from the top. He crashed four times.
Kumaritashvili's family blamed the design of the US$110 million track that was intended to allow top speeds of 137kph.
"You will see when it comes out that what happened was a one-off," Romstad said.
"The final moment of impact was something that was unforeseen. What we have tried to do is be as pragmatic as possible in trying to explain what happened."
(AP)
An International Luge Federation report is set to describe the 21-year-old Georgian's crash on the Whistler sliding track, hours before the games opened on February 12, as a one-off that could not have been foreseen.
"Everybody wants a scapegoat and to say, 'It was that person' (to blame)," FIL secretary general Svein Romstad, the report's lead writer, said. "I think one thing we will see is that it's an amalgamation of a lot of different things. What happened to Nodar was very, very unique."
Kumaritashvili died when he was thrown through the air and slammed into a trackside steel pole after losing control of his sled coming out of the final curve at nearly 145kph.
The federation reopened the world's fastest track the next day on a shortened, slower course with padding on the poles and a new barrier wall in the closing straight.
It is not known if the report will explain why those safety measures were not in place earlier.
FIL initially judged that Kumaritashvili made tactical errors. Ranked No. 44 in the season-long World Cup series, he had taken 26 practice runs at Whistler with 16 starting from the top. He crashed four times.
Kumaritashvili's family blamed the design of the US$110 million track that was intended to allow top speeds of 137kph.
"You will see when it comes out that what happened was a one-off," Romstad said.
"The final moment of impact was something that was unforeseen. What we have tried to do is be as pragmatic as possible in trying to explain what happened."
(AP)
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