Tragedy In Vancouver

Olympic Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili a 21-year-old from the tiny country of Georgia who had dreamed of representing his country in the Winter Olympics, was tragically killed when he lost control of his sled on the final turn of his final practice run before the opening ceremonies in Vancouver. Kumaritashvili's body rocked back and forth against the icy sides of what is being called the fastest track in the world, before being flung over the very wall that was there to ensure his safety, and into a steel poll. Medical staff at the Whistler Sliding Center was by his side, beginning mouth-to-mouth resuscitations and chest compressions within one minute following the crash. He was then flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital for further medical attention. However, there was nothing that could be done. Nodar Kumaritashvili was dead.

While IOC President Jacques Rogge sat before the press following Kumaritashvili's death, his eyes were watered up. "This is a very sad day…I have no words to say what we feel," said Rogge. There are no words, only the images and video of the tragic accident. It was not long before the video appeared on television, as all three major news networks, CBS, NBC, and ABC, were ready to press play following their anchors' words of warning regarding the severity of the event on tape. The video of Olympic luger Nodar Kumaritashvili's death has been seared into the hearts and minds of millions of people across the world and has even made its way onto YouTube.

What may hit the heart the most is the interview given by Kumaritashvili's father, David, who revealed details of a phone conversation with his son that Thursday, in which Nodar expressed his fear of the very turn that would claim his life less than 24 hours later.

"I'm a luger as well and that's why I told him, ‘Brake, brake, don't risk it,'" said the elder Kumaritashvili. "He said, ‘No Dad, I will risk it, what will be will be.' And he took the risk." Though he will not watch the video, the elder Kumaritashvili is convinced that his son's life could have been saved. "Maybe my son was at fault, but if the beams weren't there this wouldn't have happened, he would be alive," Kumaritashvili said. "This could have happened to anyone, anyone could have made that mistake. That's what I think."

The tragedy of burying a child is a burden no parent should ever bear. The burden of hearing that your son contributed to his own death by the way he maneuvered his sled is also one with which no father should have to cope.

The sad truth now is that the International Olympic Committee and the Vancouver games coordinators will try and clear themselves of any wrongdoing in this accident. After studying the crash on video, luge federation officials said it was determined Kumaritashvili was offline coming out of Curve 15 and "did not compensate properly to make correct entrance into Curve 16." It is not immoral for these people to come to these conclusions, but knowing that it could have been avoided by having an extra wall there leaves a sickening feeling in the stomachs of millions. This tragedy has led to an additional wooden wall being placed in the exact spot where Nodar Kumaritashvili flew to his death.

It is quite astonishing to know that people only fix something when tragedy strikes. It is also chilling to know that responsibility is placed on the deceased as opposed to it falling on the men and women who approved the course. Pointing fingers will not bring back Kumaritashvili, but it could bring some respect back to the officials who claim to have washed their hands of this mess. This tragedy will leave a black mark on the 2010 winter games, and it will be placed over the Olympic rings like the piece of black tape placed on the helmets of each luger, who will each wear one in honor of Nodar Kumaritashvili—the 21-year-old dreamer who was looking to honor his family and country by competing in the Olympics.