Berchtesgaden (FIL) The International Luge Federation, FIL, has published its final report to the International Olympic Committee, IOC, on the fatal accident of Georgia’s Nodar Kumaritashvili on its homepage. “What happened to Nodar has been an unforeseeable fatal accident,” summarized FIL Secretary General Svein Romstad together with FIL Vice President Claire DelNegro, both in charge of preparing the report. “After an in-depth analysis we concluded that there was no single reason, but a complex series of inter-related events which led to this tragedy”, said Romstad.
The documentation honors the sporting career of Nodar Kumaritashvili and demonstrates the qualification process of the Georgian luger to participate in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. It also documents the general qualifying criteria in the sport of luge and illuminates all relevant aspects of the artificially-iced track at the Whistler Sliding Center, such as for instance, the construction, homologation, the up-following changes and training sessions. The fatal training run is reconstructed in detail, the decisions taken immediately following the accident are described and first conclusions from this fatal accident drawn.
Furthermore, the International Luge Federation continues to support the family of Nodar Kumaritashvili and backs the efforts of his family and the Republic of Georgia in building a luge track that shall then be named after Nodar. “The FIL is determined to do what it can to avoid a tragedy like this from occurring again”, the report says.
The report has been prepared with the support of the IOC, the Organizing Committee of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, VANOC, the Canadian Luge Federation, CLA, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP, as well as the Coroner’s Service of British Columbia.
[Download FIL report as PDF]
Link to VANOC and Whistler 2010 Sport Legacies Society comment on FIL report
