Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on February 18, 2010

Olympic luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia crashed and was killed while practicing last Friday on the luge track at Whistler in British Columbia. | Photo credit: Elise Amendola / Associated Press

More problems have surfaced for the Vancouver Winter Games… reportedly, Werner Hoeger, an Olympic luge athlete who was injured at the Whistler luge track months ago, had filed safety complaints, long before Georgian Olympian slider Nodar Kumaritashvili was tragically killed last week.

This troubling information is just now breaking from the New York Times, Athlete Had Filed Warnings About Luge Track:

WHISTLER, British Columbia — An Olympic luge athlete injured in a crash at the Whistler Sliding Centre in November warned Canadian officials about safety hazards at the track months before a competitor was killed last week at the Vancouver Games in an accident on the same course.

Werner Hoeger, who competed in the Turin and Salt Lake Games for Venezuela, said he lost consciousness and sustained a concussion during a botched training run on Nov. 13 after his sled caromed off an opening in the wall near the women’s start ramp. His injury most likely prevented him from attempting to qualify for the Olympics, he said. In a volley of letters and e-mail messages sent to Canadian and international luge officials since his crash, Hoeger warned that the track was unsafe and raised the same issues — including a lack of access to practice runs — now being debated after Nodar Kumaritashvili of the Republic of Georgia died on Friday.

Hoeger was experienced — he competed in the past two Winter Games — but he was not a medal contender. His highest World Cup ranking was 52nd. At age 56, he was trying to become the oldest competitor in these Games. Kumaritashvili was young and inexperienced. At age 21, he was ranked 44th in the World Cup standings this season. He had completed 26 runs on the course at Whistler. The Canadian team’s luge athletes made an average of 250 runs.

Hoeger and athletes from other nations with small, underfinanced luge teams said Canadian officials were not sympathetic to their requests for additional practice time even as evidence mounted that the track was faster and more challenging than originally designed.

“For the smaller nations, there should have been more,” said Ioan Apostol, a former Olympic luge athlete from Romania who is the director of development for the International Luge Federation. “It is very fast and very technical at the same time.” He added that he petitioned Canadian officials for extra runs at the course for the athletes he oversees. His division provides coaching and financial assistance to countries without strong luge teams, including Georgia.

More Olympics reading:
Ace of Spades HQ: Mounties Detain Man With “Infatuation” With Joe Biden Meters Away from Vice President
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Security Problems at Vancouver Winter Olympics: Biden Fan with Homemade Olympics Pass Breeches Security and Olympics’ Problems in Vancouver Escalate: Luger’s Death, Malfunctions, Melting Snow, Shaun White Fans Turned Away, Olympic Flame Wire Fence, Power Outage, Biathalon Errors and Following Olympian Luger’s Death, Shortened Luge Track Trickier, Upsets Olympic Women, Many Have Fears (video) and E-Waste First: Olympic Medals Made from Gold, Silver, & Copper Recovered from Electronic Waste and Controversial Video of Olympian Nodar Kumaritashvili’s Luge Crash, via Associated Press (video) – Update: Olympics Protest Video Added and Kumaritashvili’s Tragic Death: Olympics Athletes Worry about Safety of Luge Track, Google Logo Honors Luge Athlete Killed — Update: Google Luge Logo Removed and SHOCKER: Luge Athlete, 21-Year-Old Nodar Kumaritashvili from Georgia, Killed on Olympic Track — Updated
The Conservative Pup: Favorite Olympic Moments: 1988 Calgary, Midori Ito
Trophies Trophy: Women’s lugers upset with Olympics track
Daily Contributor: Olympic Luge Track Altered After Athlete’s Death
Gateway Pundit: Olympic Luger Thrown From Sled & Hits Steel Pole – Dies (Graphic Video)
News Daily: Luge death darkens mood as Winter Games open

Categories: Government, International Relations, Notable Deaths, Social and Political Climate, Sports, Athletes
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