Worst Winter Olympics deaths with skiier hitting snowcat | Other | Sport
Nodar Kumaritashvili died in 2010 (Image: undefined)
In a chilling turn of events, some of the most tragic Winter Olympics fatalities were witnessed by thousands, with the heartbreaking death of a 21-year-old captured on camera.
Nodar Kumaritashvili, a promising Georgian luger with a bright future ahead, arrived at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 with his sights set on gold. Tragically, he died when he collided with a metal pole during his final training run on the day of the opening ceremony.
Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, stated that the death “clearly casts a shadow over these games.”
The committee convened to decide how to proceed with events at the sliding centre. Irakly Japaridze, the leader of the Georgian Olympic delegation, expressed their shock: “We are all in deep shock, we don’t know what to do. We don’t know whether to take part in the opening ceremony or even the Olympic Games themselves.”, reports the Mirror.
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Nicolas Bochatay crashed into a snowcat in 1992 (Image: undefined)
The local organising committee issued a statement announcing an investigation was underway to “ensure a safe field of play.”
Adam Rosen, a British luger who had dislocated his hip on the same course the previous October, warned: “You have to be very exact on certain parts of the track otherwise they could be disastrous.”
Andi Schmid, British skeleton’s performance director, cautioned: “We need to be careful so that these sports stay great action sports and don’t become dangerous killer sports.”
With speeds often exceeding 90 mph, the luge is considered one of the most perilous sports at the Olympic Games, as reported by NBC New York.
Great Britain’s Amy Williams poses on the deadly sliding track (Image: PA)
Following Kumaritashvil’s tragic death, The International Luge Federation launched an investigation.
The findings determined that human error was responsible for the fatal training run crash, which resulted in significant modifications to the luge course construction.
The beams are now padded and the walls have been raised, supposedly restricting speeds to 87 miles per hour.
In another horrific incident, a 27-year-old Swiss downhill skier lost his life in a training crash involving a snow machine in 1992.
In Albertville, Bochatay was warming up for his downhill skiing run whilst travelling to the competition area when he collided with a snow-grooming machine.
Hugo Steinegger, a spokesman for the Olympic organising committee, said that Bochatay had been skiing on a public slope adjacent to the speed ski run.
Ross Milne died after hitting a tree during a downhill training run (Image: undefined)
Jorand said they jumped a small hill, flew into the air and Bochatay crashed into the machine. The Olympian sadly died on impact.
Jean-Albert Corrand, from the local Olympic organising committee, said the snowcat was moving, sounding a siren and flashing emergency lights when the collision occurred.
Downhill skiing and the luge have proved the most fatal over time, with two additional athletes dying in each discipline at the Innsbruck 1964 games.
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Georgian luge hopeful Nodar Kumaritashvili crashes during the men’s Luge practice (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Ross Milne, a 19-year-old Australian skier, died from a head injury after losing control and hitting a tree during a downhill training run. In a separate training tragedy, Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki, a 58-year-old British luger, died following a crash during practice, merely eight days ahead of the opening ceremony.
The ex-Royal Air Force pilot was set to compete in the winter Olympics’ inaugural luge competition.
Whilst he initially survived the impact, he had suffered numerous fractures, including to his skull and pelvis, and he died whilst undergoing surgery the following day.
