Organizing committee of Olympiad-2010: Georgian sledge racer made a fatal mistake

A couple of hours prior to the opening ceremony of Vancouver Olympiad, held on February 12, the Georgian Olympic team suffered a tragic loss: at the morning training session Nodar Kumaritashvili, a sledge racer, crushed himself to death in an accident it was broke to death.

The statement published in the website of the Olympiad on the outcomes of the inquiry, held by the International Sledge Federation, runs that the athlete lost control of his sledge in the final section of the track, when his speed was about 170 km/h. In the 16th turn he ran into an ice board, was thrown out of the sledge and rushed into the support post, as the "Interfax" writes.

The accident that caused Nodar's death was a result of his own mistake, not of the track defect, says the statement of the Organizing committee of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Meanwhile, Nikoloz Rurua, minister of culture, protection of monuments and sports of Georgia, has promised to build a race track at the Bakuriani mounting skiing resort named after the Georgian sledge racer Nodar Kumaritashvili, who perished in Vancouver.

"It is a very sad fact, but it should frighten nobody. It's just a very risky sport. Nodar was an athlete with a true sportive spirit and never spared efforts to glorify his country," said the minister as quoted by the "Gazeta.Ru".

See earlier report: "Caucasian athletes take part in Vancouver Winter Olympics".