Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili Killed: Whistler Run Claims Life Of Soviet Olympian

Before the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic games could get underway, the life of an athlete has been claimed.

Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, of Georgia (Soviet Union Republic) unfortunately lost his life just hours prior to the start of the Winter Games.

Kumaritashvili was involved in a practice run and was knocked unconscious when his luge careened out of control and hit a steel pole along the course's retaining wall near the finish line marker. 

Not the first Olympic athlete to pay the ultimate price before the torch lighting, Kumaritashvili's career was tragically cut short in Friday's "freak" accident.

The Olympic games have been tarnished by unfortunate events in the past, the 1972 Munich games were tainted by the senseless killing of Israeli athletes in an act of terrorism.

Kumaritashvili's crash on the Vancouver course was not his first. It has been reported that he failed to complete up to six practice sessions, partly due to the challenging nature of the track.

Questions have been raised by other Olympic athletes regarding the smaller countries' training regiment—do they have the necessary prep time to compete against nations with more demanding workout schedules. The issue of "gamesmanship" has been brought to the Olympic committee's attention, claiming that the Canadians have a competitive advantage on the Whistler run due to continual accessibility.

Between the chitter-chatter of the Whistler run's quality, there is still a life that needs to be mourned.

It is undetermined if Georgia will remain in the Olympics, only time will