Your opinion on Vancouver 2010 accident.

[szron]

What do you think about that terrible accident?

In my opinion it was just his inexperience AND difficulty of track.

[Hoppah]

What do you think about that terrible accident?

In my opinion it was just his inexperience AND difficulty of track.

You're talking about the Death of Nodar Kumaritashvili? Then no, inexperienced people do not go to the Olympics. The track was just unsafe. You don't need to be an expert to see that luge tracks like that one are made for suicidal people. Besides that, I think that the sport itself (Luge) is deadly dangerous and only for people who are willing to risk their lifes. It's what luge is all about anyway. Although it's very very tragic, I was not surprised nor shocked to hear about this. It was only a matter of time before something like this would've happen. I hope they learn from it.

[hunter42]

I daw the video, it was a pretty bad accident. I wouldn't say he was inexperienced though, it just looks like a very stupid sport.

[billyfromhill]

Speechless. We ticket people for not wearing a seatbelt in a heavy, steel-encased automobile. Yet these athletes are allowed to rocket down a slope at freeway speeds with no physical protection and nothing was done to prevent them from slamming into steel girders in excess of freeway speeds in the event of a slight wobble, or imperfection on the course, or defect with the sled/luge.

[iWolf]

According to claims, the track was safe. He lost control at Turn 16.

The angles were altered and now it is safe. They've also padded all the poles.

All the luges last night made it through.

[theocd]

I just think it was a tragic accident but why weren't the girders padded in the first place? I thought that seemed a sensible thing to do from the start.

The OC-D

[Fuzzyface]

It was just an accident unfortunately.

Apparently alot of people complained about the track, but;

Kumaritashvili's final run had been his 25th on the Whistler track, and his 15th from the men's start.

Put simply, he knew the course, he knew the speed he would hit and what could potentially happen. He mis-judged a corner, and unfortunately he came off how he did. If he had fallen of the luge when he first went into the corner he would have slid along the course and that be it.

Unfortunately, where the luge tipped from the corner he was always gonna hit that wall, and always deflect off of it in the manner he did.

Remember this is the first fatal luge accident in years.

Why weren't the girders padded in the first place?

As turn 16 is the final, most people would assume that at this point you just come round that bend and you just travel in the straight line to the finish. It's been a very long time since someone has wiped out on the last corner, let alone in the manner he did.

I think it was just an unfortunate oversight, but in my opinion, padded or not, at 90mph he still would not have had much of a chance of surviving

[swatlord]

Yet these athletes are allowed to rocket down a slope at freeway speeds with no physical protection and nothing was done to prevent them from slamming into steel girders in excess of freeway speeds in the event of a slight wobble, or imperfection on the course, or defect with the sled/luge.

These athletes are also on their own track and not out in the public world. Not to mention the track is thoroughly inspected. This sport is no different than, let's say, drag racing.

And the words "inexperienced" and "Olympic athlete" should not be used in the same sentence.

[em4fun]

I dont think you can say it was his inexperince, everyone makes mistakes also the best sporters in the world, and if you make one at this track which is the fastest in the world then it will have big consequences, biger then other sports of the olympic games like skating and curling

[AgentSmith6]

One thing, and please don't kill me Canadians, is that the Canadians kept the track to themselves more than usual so they could get an edge. Foreign participants got less time to practice than in other events. May have something to do with it, may not.

[Fuzzyface]

Foreign participants got less time to practice than in other events. May have something to do with it, may not.

I quote myself here;

Kumaritashvili's final run had been his 25th on the Whistler track, and his 15th from the men's start.

I think by his 25th attempt he knew what he was doing.

He just came into the corner too high, that's it.

[Edit - You should have a source before making a claim like that as well. No need for slander]

Edited February 16, 2010 by Fuzzyface

[theparanoid]

I quote myself here;

I think by his 25th attempt he knew what he was doing.

He just came into the corner too high, that's it.

[Edit - You should have a source before making a claim like that as well. No need for slander]

How about this source

http://www.ocregister.com/sports/-234225--.html

Josef Fendt, the FIL president, was so concerned about the speeds of the course that he criticized the designers of the $105-million Olympic track last November and raised the possibility of the federation adopting a speed limit for tracks in the future.

Yet despite the FIL concerns, Canadian Olympic officials limited the access of foreign athletes to the track and did not make alterations to slow down the track. Instead Olympic officials' desire to build the fastest track on the planet and live up to luge's claim as "the fastest sport on ice" were put ahead of safety concerns for the riders, several top athletes said.

Although Fendt attempted to distance himself from his November comments Saturday morning, and FIL and Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee officials tried characterize the crash as the result of Kumaritashvili's inexperience, Romstad acknowledged "yes, there were some problems" with the Blackcomb course.

Given the new levels of speed, Canadian officials placed international riders in danger by not giving them greater access to familiarize themselves with the Blackcomb course, said top riders in luge and bobsled, which will compete on the same track.

"The speeds are higher than any other track in the world and there's nowhere to train for that," said U.S. bobsledder Steven Holcomb, a 2009 World champion. "At the Olympic Games, they limited the amount of access and training time we could have on the track. And while they're letting Canadians on to train as much as they want, you have smaller nations that have never been down before. It's kind of unfair and now it's a tragedy. This could have been avoided."

Sure sounds like he did not get enough partice times according to ludge experts. Unless of course you telling me you know more about ludge then a world Champoin? or the FIL?

The guy even said he had 40 runs and it was not enough. last time I check 40 was more then 25.

"I had only 40 runs down this track, which is one of the fastest and most difficult in the world," Holcomb said. "That's just not a good situation to start with. You're looking at top drivers, we had three World champions in a row crash in the 50/50 curve in training week earlier this year, so it's not like it's (just) the little guys crashing, it's the big dogs.

"It's a challenge for everybody so I think keeping it close and not letting people have access to it kind of made it difficult for people to get training on it and now, we have Olympic ice, which is going to be faster than ever, it makes it harder and harder and little mistakes become big mistakes, and big mistakes end in tragedy."

Perhaps you should get your facts straight!

Also the did change the course after the accident. Say what you want. But that speaks volumes. It just a same there trying to blame the victim and cover there own rear ends. That my opinion. But then I am entitled to my opinion.

[Forensics]

My opinion:

It's his own fault for taking part in such a stupid and dangerous sport.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think he deserved it or anything but what do you expect in a sport like that.

[Fuzzyface]

How about this source

http://www.ocregister.com/sports/-234225--.html

That's fine, all I said was you should put it with your first post, or it could be considered slander

Sure sounds like he did not get enough partice times according to ludge experts. Unless of course you telling me you know more about ludge then a world Champoin? or the FIL?

The guy even said he had 40 runs and it was not enough. last time I check 40 was more then 25.

I did not suggest anywhere I knew more, I stated an opinion, hence why my sentence began with "I think".

Perhaps you should get your facts straight!

I never said they were facts.

Also the did change the course after the accident. Say what you want. But that speaks volumes. It just a same there trying to blame the victim and cover there own rear ends.

I know they changed the course after the accident, but so far (on the numbers provided in yours and my comments, there was a total of 65 practice runs between these 2 alone, and 1 accident.

When you consider how many people take part in this event (Male and female) how many practice runs took place on this course without incident?

Surely if the course was that deadly we would have seen many accidents before this fatal one, not just the small concussion an athlete 3+ hoours before his run.

That my opinion. But then I am entitled to my opinion

Didn't say you weren't

[theparanoid]

That's fine, all I said was you should put it with your first post, or it could be considered slander

That was my first post. On the matter. Maybe you should make sure you know what your talking about before you start saying words like slander.

I know they changed the course after the accident, but so far (on the numbers provided in yours and my comments, there was a total of 65 practice runs between these 2 alone, and 1 accident.

When you consider how many people take part in this event (Male and female) how many practice runs took place on this course without incident?

Surely if the course was that deadly we would have seen many accidents before this fatal one, not just the small concussion an athlete 3+ hoours before his run.

I see you ingored this part of the quote.

we had three World champions in a row crash in the 50/50 curve in training week earlier this year

part of Steven Holcomb

Last I check 3+1 = 4 not 1.

[SleepyLizard]

My opinion:

It's his own fault for taking part in such a stupid and dangerous sport.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think he deserved it or anything but what do you expect in a sport like that.

In my opinion, i think your completely wrong!!!!

RIP

[Fuzzyface]

Without quoting everything;

A) All I did was suggest you post a source. You did, and I said it was fine, I just suggested you put it with your first post in any future postings. Not meant to cause offence.

B) Apologies for missing that part of the quote, there was a lot to read, i'm not stupid enough to ignore parts of a quote to build an argument. It was an honest mistake.

C)Now we agree the track was dangerous, it's still hard to justify extensive changes to a course when there isn't/wasn't any really serious injuries. (All the quote says is that 3 of them 'crashed', no real description of near death etc which would have forced the required changes)

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Also swatlord, this isn't a flaming competition, hahaha.

Just back and forth discussion

At least I am hoping it is still just a discussion here

[swatlord]

Also swatlord, this isn't a flaming competition, hahaha.

Just back and forth discussion

At least I am hoping it is still just a discussion here

I know, just trying to add some humor

and maybe instigate a little

[Fuzzyface]

and maybe instigate a little

Damn you!

[theparanoid]

Without quoting everything;

A) All I did was suggest you post a source. You did, and I said it was fine, I just suggested you put it with your first post in any future postings. Not meant to cause offence.

B) Apologies for missing that part of the quote, there was a lot to read, i'm not stupid enough to ignore parts of a quote to build an argument. It was an honest mistake.

C)Now we agree the track was dangerous, it's still hard to justify extensive changes to a course when there isn't/wasn't any really serious injuries. (All the quote says is that 3 of them 'crashed', no real description of near death etc which would have forced the required changes)

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Also swatlord, this isn't a flaming competition, hahaha.

Just back and forth discussion

At least I am hoping it is still just a discussion here

How can you suggest I post a source, when my first post in this had a source?

[Fuzzyface]

How can you suggest I post a source, when my first post in this had a source?

Sorry, I confused you for the person who posted the comment about the difference in how long athletes had on the track first of all.

Shall scratch that from my post, apologies

[racer123246]

I think personally it's terrible and inexcusable. Officials should have checked to make sure the ice was fine and that everything was save.

It gives a bad look for canada. Nuff said.

[Ami89E1234]

I think personally it's terrible and inexcusable. Officials should have checked to make sure the ice was fine and that everything was save.

It gives a bad look for canada. Nuff said.

Guess what? They had already run the course without problems. It was a simple miscalculation, not a full-fledged official screw up.

^ It gives a bad look for Pennsylvania. Nuff said.

[joachimnor]

actually they concluded it was not secured good enough

[Fuzzyface]

I remember them saying something about the profile of the ice whatever that means?

I think the only mistake they made was not padding them beams, but at 90mph+, a bit of padding wouldn't have done much anyway.