Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 – The Whistler luge track for the Winter Olympics will be closed, pending investigation whether the track is actually safe. Speculations were cast after a luger died during practice on Friday, the day the Winter Olympics was scheduled to open.

Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, died during a practice run on the Whistler Sliding Center on Friday. He crashed into steel pillars supporting the track after turning on the track’s final corner at a very high speed. Kumaritashvili was rushed to a hospital, but doctors were unable to revive him.

Joseph Fendt, president of the World Luge Federation, stated that the track may just have been too fast, despite final designs. The Whistler Sliding Center was designed to only reach a maximum speed of 137 km/h (approximately 85 mph), but investigations put the track’s real maximum speed at around 20 km/h (12.5 mph) faster. Kumaritashvili was estimated to have been going at around 144.3 km/h (89.6 mph) when he crashed into the metal girders.

“It is unknown at this time how long the run will be shut down,” according to a statement by the Coroners Service. “This is a tragic situation and our thoughts are with the athlete’s family and friends and the entire Olympic family.”

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