Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, lost control of his sled during training, went over the track wall and struck an unpadded steel pole near the finish line at Whistler Sliding Center. Paramedics and doctors were unable to revive the 21-year-old luger, who died at a hospital, the International Olympic Committee said.

Oh man, condolences to his family and friends. What a tragic start to the Winter Olympics!

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

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Agreed. oft times people lose sight of how dangerous some of these sports are. thoughts and prayers going out, and i hope that there are no more tragedies.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

I was going to throw this on this on the Forums but didn't know if I should. It is a sad day for this young man, his family and his country. I know the event has an inherent level of danger but the course this year seems very high speed...not to mention it wasn't the first accident of the day...

God bless his family and the other luge competitors if they decide to go on with the event-

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"There is more to life than increasing its speed." Mahatma Gandhi

Owner of:
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There have been complaints about the course all week. If they continue, I hope they do something to make it as safe as possible for the competitors. Or, as safe as going 140+ kph an inch above the ice can be.

That tragedy is certainly going to cast a pall over these Olympics. It looks like someone overlooked the possibility of a sled becoming airborne,All week the sports reports have been saying that this is the fastest and most dangerous luge course in the world,I guess we can take their word for it now.

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Prayers being sent out to his family.

Apparently there have been others with minor injuries on the same track this week.

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

saw a vid clip on the news, condolences out to the Olympian and his Family. agreed with you all, hope they improve that track before any other race.

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It's a sad, shocking start to the Olympics. I turned on the tv just seconds before the Georgian team entered the stadium and I don't even know how to describe it. Chilling stuff. This Olympics felt doomed as it was. I don't even know how they run the bobsled events now. The athletes should boycott it.

Thats terrible news..and so young. They work so hard to achieve their goals and then something like this happens. It was just his day and nothing can change that...

I'd wager a little padding on those steel beams would have changed a lot!

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"I started out with nothing, and still have most of it"

I hope that's exactly what they do before the competition starts. It was awful seeing the video on the news, I didn't realise just how fast they travel - it's deceptive on camera.

I am sorry for the athlete and his family.

Anything they can do to help make the course safer can only help.

Without getting into physics - the velocity & aspects of the accident.
Hitting a pad is always better than plain steel.

They have implemented extra practice runs and according to the article I read they are raising the track wall where he went over it.

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Chet Feathers

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

I couldn`t agree with you more...but the padding wasn`t there and that resulted in his death. I would think heads would roll for not having padding on those poles. Doing close to 90 laying on your back has got to be scarry.

Rest in Peace, Nodar. ♥♥♥

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"If it's planned, it's boring." - Freddie Mercury