Olympian Nodar Kumaritashvila
1988-2010
Olympic luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili died in Vancouver during a training run at Whistler Sliding Center, just hours before the opening ceremonies were set to begin. The 21-year-old from the former Soviet republic of Georgia was traveling at speeds near 90 mph when he lost control. He went over the track wall near the finish line and struck an unpadded steel pole.
Chest compressions and mouth to mouth resuscitation were performed within one minute of the crash, that occurred at 10:45 a.m., 47 seconds into the Olympian’s run. He was airlifted to a nearby trauma center within 8 minutes, but doctors were unable to revive the fallen athlete.
Kumaritashvili was making his Olympic debut after qualifying for the Luge Men’s Singles event that begins on Saturday, February 13.
The head of the Georgia delegation is Irakly Japaridze. He said, “We are all in deep shock. We don’t know what to do. We don’t know whether to take part in the opening ceremonies or even the Olympic Games themselves.”
Hours later it was announced that the opening ceremonies would be dedicated to the memory of Nodar Kumaritashvili. His team, wearing black arm bands, participated in the Friday night spectacle and will compete in the Vancouver Games as a tribute to their deceased team member.
Warning…the attached photos and crash video are very graphic and may be extremely disturbing to view. The final video shows his coffin being carried by a Georgian delegation.