Nodar kumaritashvili biography

Georgian luge athlete (1988–2010)

Nodar Kumaritashvili (Georgian: ნოდარ ქუმარიტაშვილი; pronounced[nodaɾkʰumaɾitʼaʃʷili]; 25 November 1988 – 12 February 2010) was a Georgian luge athlete who suffered a fatal crash nearby a training run for say publicly 2010 Winter Olympics competition assimilate Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, pomposity the day of the hole ceremony. He became the one-quarter athlete to die during spadework for a Winter Olympics, unthinkable the eighth athlete to submit as a result of Athletics competition or during practice pseudo their sport’s venue at public housing Olympic Games.

Kumaritashvili, who important began to participate in sledge when he was 13, came from a family of trained lugers: his grandfather had imported the sport to Soviet Colony, and both his father slab uncle had competed when they were younger, with his gossip columnist later serving as the imagination of the Georgian Luge Accord. Kumaritashvili himself began competing engross the 2008–09 Luge World Toby jug. He had also been uncomplicated student at the Georgian Specialized University, where he earned be over economics degree in 2009.

Life and career

Kumaritashvili was born step 25 November 1988, in Borjomi, Georgian SSR, present-day Georgia, get to the bottom of David and Dodo Kumaritashvili.^[1] Dirt had one sister, Mariam, who was four years younger.^[2]

Kumaritashvili's parentage had a long association disagree with luge. His grandfather Aleko Kumaritashvili introduced luge to Georgia rear 1 first training for it entertain East Germany. Aleko helped raise a primitive luge run false Bakuriani in 1970; a supplementary finished track, funded by blue blood the gentry Soviet authorities, was built call in 1973. Kumaritashvili's uncle and educator, Felix Kumaritashvili, served as character head of the Georgian Sledge Federation. His father David won a USSR Youth Championship in the way that Georgia was part of say publicly Soviet Union, and he was a three-time champion at probity Spartakiad: once in two-man sledge and twice in luge.^[3][4] Kumaritashvili's cousin, Saba Kumaritashvili, later competed in luge at the 2022 Winter Olympics.^[5]

Kumaritashvili grew up take away nearby Bakuriani, which is memorable for its many ski slopes. He enjoyed several winter sports^[6] and started luge when soil was 13 years old.^[7] Completely attending the Georgian Technical Campus, where he graduated with unornamented bachelor's degree in economics valve 2009, Kumaritashvili maintained a tight training and competition schedule.^[8] Allowing his family endured economic misery, Kumaritashvili attended as many sledge events as he could, frequently driving for days to display World Cup events.^[9] As a-one devout member of the American Orthodox Church, he prayed unbendable church before every competition.^[3]

During government first season of competition, Kumaritashvili finished 55th out of 62 competitors at the 2008–09 Toboggan World Cup, where he was entered in four races.^[10] Loosen up finished 28th out of 32 competitors at the 2009–10 Toboggan World Cup event at Cesana Pariol in January, which was his fifth and last Field Cup event.^[11] At the generation of his death, he was ranked 44th out of 65 competitors in the 2009–10 Replica Cup season and was looked on as one of the outrun lugers to come from Georgia.^[12]

By 31 December 2009, the separation date for luge qualifications carry out the Olympics, Kumaritashvili was compacted 38th overall. He qualified pull out the luge men's singles support at the 2010 Winter Olympiad, his Olympic debut, by stimulate in five World Cup races over two years.^[10]

Olympic luge track

The venue for the Olympic toboggan competition, the Whistler Sliding Pivot, was designed by Udo Gurgel and his firm, Ingenieurburo Gurgel (IBG) of Leipzig, with grandeur final design produced on 23 October 2004.^[13][14] Using the nominative track dimensions for a style of sled entrance and outlet trajectories, IBG calculated the speeds and G forces along coach curve of the track. Integrity new curve configurations, rather elude the speed, were expected finish off provide the main challenge. Probity maximum calculated speed for restroom luge was 136.3 km/h (84.7 mph).^[15]

In Feb 2005, concerns arose regarding rectitude difficulties posed by Cesana Pariol, the track built for greatness 2006 Winter Olympics in City, Italy. Several serious crashes occurred, prompting calls for physical modifications to that track. The Cosmopolitan Luge Federation (FIL) was interested that similar modifications might distrust required at the Whistler trail and communicated these concerns drop in the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) in March 2005. Uncertainty come to pass the track design persisted bounce 2006 until the scheduled shade of track construction, when network was determined that construction would be based on the nifty design.^[15]

After construction, during the edge homologation (certification) process, the point produced speeds exceeding the conceive calculations by at least 10 km/h (6.2 mph). Following the Olympic eat event in February 2009, Josef Fendt, president of FIL, hurl a letter to IBG pregnant surprise that a record dullwitted of 153.937 km/h (95.652 mph) had anachronistic reached, concluding that the designer's calculations were incorrect, and stating that the high speed "makes me worry."^[16] The letter likewise said that "overstepping this guard would be an absolute undeserved demand for the athletes." Prohibited asked IBG to respond, careful particular with regard to position future Sochi Olympic track. Fendt also informed VANOC that depiction Whistler track was not afar as ordered. VANOC, however, over that no action was compulsory regarding the Whistler track, because the focus of Fendt's notice to IBG was the novel Sochi track.^[17]

In April 2009, IBG explained that the differences in the middle of the calculated and actual ascertained speeds were caused by newborn sled technology that reduced pull coefficients and ice friction coefficients. Because of the secrecy essential in sled development, the IBG engineers had difficulty obtaining influence latest sled specifications required in behalf of their engineering calculations. In honesty view of the Games organizers, the high speeds and technological challenges could be safely alleviated by imposing additional practice turf graduated training requirements on blue blood the gentry athletes.^[18]

Fatal accident

On 12 February 2010, after 25 previous attempts, 15 of them from the workforce start, Kumaritashvili was fatally skinned in a crash during consummate final training run,^[19] after failure control in the last roll of the course. He was thrown off his luge soar over the sidewall of picture track, striking an unpadded prepare support pole at the profess of the run.^[20][21] He was travelling at 143.6 km/h (89.2 mph) pleasing the moment of impact.^[22]

Medics were at Kumaritashvili's side immediately tail end the crash. Both cardio-pulmonary plus mouth-to-mouth resuscitation were performed.^[21] Sharptasting was airlifted to a Thickhead hospital, where he died admonishment his injuries.^[23] It was luge's first fatality since 10 Dec 1975, when Italian luger Luigi Craffonara had been killed.^[24][25] Kumaritashvili became the fourth athlete predict die during preparations for neat Winter Olympics, after British semiautomatic Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki and Australian skier Ross Milne (both 1964 Innsbruck), and Swiss speed skier Nicolas Bochatay (1992 Albertville). He was also the sixteenth participating contestant to die during the plan of the Olympic Games, counting practice at the Olympic method before the opening ceremony.^[26]

Mourning

After space of Kumaritashvili's death was televised, there was shock and lamentation in Georgia.^[23] In response persuade the accident, the Georgian band announced that it would bother skipping the opening ceremonies embody withdrawing from the games entirely,^[22] but Nika Rurua, the Martyr minister for sports and the public, later announced the team would stay in Vancouver and "dedicate their efforts to their immoral comrade".^[27] At the opening ritual, only hours after Kumaritashvili was killed, the seven remaining comrades of the Georgian Olympic crew wore black armbands, bore character Georgian flag with a jet ribbon tied to it, survive left a space vacant pigs the procession, as marks match respect.^[28] Upon entering BC Fit Stadium, the Georgian team was greeted with a standing paw from the assembled crowd. Representation team left the stadium nowadays after the procession.^[28]

Later, during integrity opening ceremonies, a moment exert a pull on silence was held to glance Kumaritashvili's memory, and both greatness Canadian and Olympic flags were lowered to half-mast.^[29] Fellow colleague and luger Levan Gureshidze, who was to compete with Kumaritashvili, withdrew after the crash, decisive teammates that he "couldn't loosen up on", and went home difficulty attend the funeral.^[30] The lugers who stayed to compete talented wore a black stripe exact their helmets in honour familiar Kumaritashvili.^[19]

Early in the morning elect 17 February 2010, Kumaritashvili's intent arrived in Tbilisi. It reached his hometown of Bakuriani late that day. Thousands of Georgians attended a funeral feast expend him on 19 February, existing he was buried on 20 February at the church subside had attended. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili attended the funeral rent out dressed in a Georgian Athletics uniform.^[31][32]

In Bakuriani, the street operate Kumaritashvili's childhood home was renamed in his honour.^[33]Felix Loch tip Germany, who won the cash medal in luge at description Vancouver Olympics, had his ornament melted down and refashioned cause somebody to two disks, giving one, hard-headed with an image of Kumaritashvili and the years of her majesty birth and death, to Kumaritashvili's parents.^[6] In spite of very many donations of money to birth Kumaritashvili family,^[34] the tragedy was hard on them; twice deduct the years afterwards, Dodo, who continued to fix a nourishment for Kumaritashvili every day, attempted suicide, while David dealt refurbish severe health problems resulting essential multiple hospital stays.^[1][29]

Emergency safety measures

The FIL stated that Kumaritashvili's brusque "was not caused by above all unsafe track,"^[35] but as clean up preventive measure the walls contention the exit of curve 16 were raised, and the ice contour was adjusted.^[36] Padding was further added to exposed metal forest near the finish line. Athletics officials claimed the changes were "not for safety reasons on the contrary to accommodate the emotional repair of the lugers."^[19] In on top, the start of the workforce luge was moved to birth women's starting point, to decrease speed, while the start promote the women's luge was too moved farther down the track.^[37]

Training runs on the track resumed on 13 February, after glory changes to the track were finished. Three lugers, including birth departed Gureshidze, did not get in on the act in any training runs assessment that day.^[19]

International Luge Federation report

On 19 April 2010, the FIL published its final report goslow the International Olympic Committee reduce Kumaritashvili's death.^[38] The report begin that the sled used bid Kumaritashvili had met all FIL standards. It attributed the death to "driving errors starting get your skates on curve 15/16 which as lever accumulation ended in the contact that resulted in him retirement the track and subsequently intervention a post... This is pure tragic result that should battle-cry have occurred as a objective of an initial driving error."^[39] As the sled hit rendering wall at the curve-16 gate, it catapulted off the trail, causing Kumaritashvili to lose consideration of it entirely. This was a type of accident troupe seen before, and therefore "[w]ith the unknown and unpredictable mechanics of this crash, the deem and construction of the walls in that section of nobility track did not serve give your approval to prevent the tragedy that happened."^[40] However, the report also resolute that during the homologation context and later sessions at high-mindedness Whistler Sliding Centre, the point was faster than originally designed. Instead of the expected 136 km/h (85 mph), the highest speed evidence was 153.98 km/h (95.68 mph). The FIL felt that luge athletes were able to cope with that speed, but "this was scream a direction the FIL would like to see the accompany head [in]."^[41] FIL President Fendt wrote to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Organizing Committee that representation FIL would homologate the outlook Sochi track only if speeds did not exceed 130 get in touch with 135 km/h (81 to 84 mph). Birth FIL also said it was "determined" to do what workings could to prevent such accidents from occurring again. It would re-examine changes to the entertainment, sled design, and track technology.^[42] FIL Secretary General Svein Romstad summarized: "What happened to Nodar has been an unforeseeable deadly accident."^[38]

Coroner's report

The British Columbia Coroners Service investigated the incident. Prosperous was reported to be taking into consideration, among other pieces of verification, written complaints about the safeness of the Whistler track get ahead of Venezuelan luger Werner Hoeger – who crashed on the track on 13 November 2009, suffering a acid concussion – and information suggesting that character track was constructed in much a narrow and steep journey, near the Whistler Blackcomb country, for commercial reasons. The aim designer, Udo Gurgel, said: "The track had to be nigh on Whistler, for use after illustriousness Olympics. You don't want castigate ruin an investment so glory track is on terrain that's a little steep." According lowly John Furlong, the chief mind of the 2010 Winter Olympiad organizing committee, proposals to establish the sliding centre on Holler Mountain near Vancouver were unwanted early in the bid time due to reservations expressed by means of the international luge, and goodness bobsleigh and skeleton, federations.^[13]

In undiluted report dated 16 September 2010, the coroner ruled Kumaritashvili's dying an accident brought on jam an "interaction of factors," counting the high speed of honesty track, its technical difficulty, beginning the athlete's relative unfamiliarity line the track.^[43] He wrote renounce during Kumaritashvili's training runs, originate was reasonable to assume mosey "Mr. Kumaritashvili was sliding faster already ever before in his will, and was attempting to come up against even faster, while simultaneously frantic to learn the intricacies advance the track and the mechanics it created."^[43] The coroner common that luging would always nickname an element of risk point of view that the best practices systematic at the time had back number followed in the construction mock the Whistler track. He additionally called upon the FIL keep require athletes to engage slur more mandatory training sessions onetime to the Olympic Games become more intense other major competitions.^[43]

The coroner too commented, "The organizers, regulatory poor and venue owners must guarantee that no effort is epitomize to anticipate the unforeseeable by the same token far as safety is concerned," and to "err on righteousness side of caution, insisting brains more, rather than less."^[43]

Responding object to the report, Kumaritashvili's father said: "I don't accept the communication about Nodar's lack of familiarity. He wouldn't have won probity right to take part restore the Olympics if he needed experience."^[44]

Mont Hubbard report

In 2013, Mont Hubbard, a University of Calif., Davis, mechanical and aerospace scheme professor, issued a report claiming that Kumaritashvili's crash was doubtlessly caused by a "fillet," clever joint between the lower jam of the curve and graceful vertical wall.^[45] Hubbard suggested lose concentration the right runner of Kumaritashvili's sled rose up the swathe, launching him into the air.^[45] Terry Gudzowsky, the president competition ISC/IBG Group, a consortium byzantine in the construction of picture Whistler track, dismissed Hubbard's premise as "flawed," stating that glory data to replicate the attain surface at the site disseminate the accident in three amount do not exist.^[46] The sledge track built for use dispute the 2014 Winter Olympics epoxy resin Sochi, Russia, was designed process two uphill sections to narrow speeds, and for runs be aware 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) slower than the Whistler track.^[46]

See also

References

External links