Always seems to be something done after a tragedy....Reminds me of Nascar doing safety changes after Dale Earnhardt's death.
Those steel beams stuck out like a sore thumb on the track.
Updated: February 13, 2010, 12:53 PM ET
Curve altered, wooden wall added
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Associated Press
Winter Olympics Day 2 Latest
WHISTLER, British Columbia -- International luge officials are moving the start of the men's Olympic luge competition farther down the track. It was a decision made with the "emotional component" of athletes in mind following the death of a Georgian competitor.
Men's training on Saturday morning, as well as all four runs of the men's competition that begins later, will take place from the women's start ramp.
The move means speeds will be a bit lower at the Whistler Sliding Track. It likely also means the course will be a bit easier to navigate.
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Michael SohnWorkers modified the surface of the ice near the final turn of the track, and other alterations pushed back the reopening of the facility.
Luge officials delayed the reopening of the Whistler Sliding Center track Saturday morning by an hour as workers continued to groom the track, less than a day after 21-year-old Nodar Kumaritashvili, from the republic of Georgia, died after a crash during training.
The sixth men's training session was supposed to resume at 8 a.m. local time after being canceled Friday afternoon, but has been pushed back until 9:02 a.m.
American Tony Benshoof, who hurt his foot when he slammed into a wall Friday, was the first to take his training run when the track did reopen, and he navigated the 16 turns without incident.
Kumaritashvili died after he lost control in Curve 15 and crashed in the 16th, finish curve. He was traveling at nearly 90 mph when he lost control, flipped over the wall and slammed into an unpadded steel support pole.
Officials have modified the last turn where he crashed, erecting a 12-foot-high wooden wall to cover the exposed steel beams. In the last hour before practice was set to resume, workers scraped and shaped ice from the edges in the last turn. Officials said they have modified the exit in the curve.
Concerns about the lightning-fast course had been raised for months. There were worries that the $100 million-plus venue was too technically difficult, and a lack of significant practice time by everyone but the host nation's sliders would result in a rash of accidents.
The International Luge Federation and Vancouver Olympic officials said Friday night their investigation showed that the crash was the result of human error and there was "no indication that the accident was caused by deficiencies in the track."
In a joint statement they said Kumaritashvili was late coming out of the next-to-last turn and failed to compensate.
"This resulted in a late entrance into curve 16 and although the athlete worked to correct the problem, he eventually lost control of the sled, resulting in the tragic accident," the statement said.
The men's luge singles competition is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
Those steel beams stuck out like a sore thumb on the track.
Updated: February 13, 2010, 12:53 PM ET
Curve altered, wooden wall added
Comment Email Print Share
Associated Press
Winter Olympics Day 2 Latest
WHISTLER, British Columbia -- International luge officials are moving the start of the men's Olympic luge competition farther down the track. It was a decision made with the "emotional component" of athletes in mind following the death of a Georgian competitor.
Men's training on Saturday morning, as well as all four runs of the men's competition that begins later, will take place from the women's start ramp.
The move means speeds will be a bit lower at the Whistler Sliding Track. It likely also means the course will be a bit easier to navigate.
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Michael SohnWorkers modified the surface of the ice near the final turn of the track, and other alterations pushed back the reopening of the facility.Luge officials delayed the reopening of the Whistler Sliding Center track Saturday morning by an hour as workers continued to groom the track, less than a day after 21-year-old Nodar Kumaritashvili, from the republic of Georgia, died after a crash during training.
The sixth men's training session was supposed to resume at 8 a.m. local time after being canceled Friday afternoon, but has been pushed back until 9:02 a.m.
American Tony Benshoof, who hurt his foot when he slammed into a wall Friday, was the first to take his training run when the track did reopen, and he navigated the 16 turns without incident.
Kumaritashvili died after he lost control in Curve 15 and crashed in the 16th, finish curve. He was traveling at nearly 90 mph when he lost control, flipped over the wall and slammed into an unpadded steel support pole.
Officials have modified the last turn where he crashed, erecting a 12-foot-high wooden wall to cover the exposed steel beams. In the last hour before practice was set to resume, workers scraped and shaped ice from the edges in the last turn. Officials said they have modified the exit in the curve.
Concerns about the lightning-fast course had been raised for months. There were worries that the $100 million-plus venue was too technically difficult, and a lack of significant practice time by everyone but the host nation's sliders would result in a rash of accidents.
The International Luge Federation and Vancouver Olympic officials said Friday night their investigation showed that the crash was the result of human error and there was "no indication that the accident was caused by deficiencies in the track."
In a joint statement they said Kumaritashvili was late coming out of the next-to-last turn and failed to compensate.
"This resulted in a late entrance into curve 16 and although the athlete worked to correct the problem, he eventually lost control of the sled, resulting in the tragic accident," the statement said.
The men's luge singles competition is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
I should have known better since I work in construction.......Guess I have been unemployed for too long. 