Olympic Opening Ceremonies Overshadowed by Tragedy

The Olympics are supposed to be about hope, peace and the pursuit of excellence, not death. Sadly, just hours before the opening ceremonies are set to take place at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Nodar Kumaritashvili has died after a horrific crash on his second luge run at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

Kumaritashvili, a native of the country of Georgia, was ranked 44th in the world. At just 21-years-old, he had his whole life ahead of him. His death will clearly overshadow tonight’s opening ceremonies, which will now undoubtedly be filled with sorrow.

Kumaritashvili crashed on the turn nicknamed “Thunderbird”, considered the fastest in the world. The Whistler course was, in itself, considered to be one of the fastest courses ever assembled, as more than a few luge athletes lost control during their runs.

When you watch the video of the accident, you can clearly see that Kumaritashvili lost control. It was a horrific moment, followed by his body leaving the track and striking a pole. Clearly, this is an image that is not for the faint of heart, one that will stay in my mind and the minds of many in the luge community through the coming days.

Speeds in the event can get as high as 154 km/h, a feat Austrian Manuel Pfister clocked on Thursday (coincidentally the fastest speed ever recorded for the sport).

The obvious question: Is this track safe to race on, or should they close it down and make changes?

There are no easy answers, but it appears that, in light of the accident, the International Luge Federation and the International Olympic Committee will have some heavy thinking to do before the event commences on Saturday.

Suffice it to say, anytime you throw your body down a hill at 150+km/h, you are putting your life in danger. Luge is no joke; it’s a highly skilled event in witch the cost of error can be tragic.

We (as fans) take for granted what these athletes do. Not only those who participate in Luge, but also the ones that take on the challenge of downhill skiing, bobsled or even snowboarding, to name a few other potentially dangerous sports.

The question now is, in the pursuit of gold, have the organizers put the athlete’s at risk? If so, will there be changes and what exactly can be done to slow the course down?

With hundredths of seconds deciding the difference between a gold medal and leaving the games with nothing, every athlete is aiming to go as fast as they can. More often than not, that demands the athlete to put his health, if not life, at risk.

In the end, the athletes compete in the games for the love of their sport and the love for their country. It is impossible for mere fans to understand all that these athletes give up just to be here—many live on or near the poverty line, spending years of their lives in training for the chance to win a medal for their country.

The dream of bringing home a medal is often lost in the blink of an eye; in this case, Kumaritashvili lost more than a chance at a medal.

It would be remiss if I didn’t wish everyone in the luge community a safe time for the remainder of the games and offer the people of Georgia and the Kumaritashvili family my deepest heartfelt condolences.

It will be interesting to see how the Olympic organizers chose to handle the news of this tragedy during the opening ceremonies. I suspect they will give this tragedy the attention it deserves with the utmost respect and dignity.

Like any athlete, I am sure Kumaritashvili would want the Olympics to go on, and they shall. Kumaritashvili is gone, but not forgotten;and we should collectively not forget the joy, peace and harmony that the Olympics bring to millions of people.

The Opening Ceremonies and the Olympics will go on, as will the memory of Nodar Kumaritashvili.  But it’s a sad moment for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, one that will not soon be forgotten by fans and athletes alike.