A Life Lost on the Luge

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February 25, 2010 • Sonali Sukumar  
Filed under BuccaNews, Uncategorized

     On February 12, 2010, the athletes of the world gathered in the city of Vancouver, BC in Canada.  Everyone watched in awe as the flags from each country were carried with pride and glory.  But imagine a video of an athlete’s death being played in the background.  That is exactly what happened the night of the opening ceremony. No one would ever forget the sudden death of the young luge athlete from Georgia.   21-year old Nodar Kumaritashvili died when he lost control of his sled while he was making a sharp turn at ninety miles per hour on the track.  His body was thrown off his sled as he crashed into a nearby pillar.  Paramedics rushed to the scene where his lifeless boy laid and immediately began giving him CPR, but unfortunately it was too late. No words could describe the horror that filled the air when Kumaritashvilli’s body thrown off the track.

     What made matters worse was when NBC, CBS, and ABC immediately aired his death publicly on television.  This video soon sparked a public outcry because the video was private and was not meant to be viewed to the public.  It was definitely disrespectful of the news channels to air the young athlete’s brutal death to millions of viewers.  Just imagine what the athlete’s family must have felt to have seen his death replayed again and again in slow motion.  The International Olympic Commitee should have known much better than to have the major broadcasters show the video.  They finally removed the videos from Youtube and Google.  The IOC President, Jacques Rogge, later stated, “I have no words to describe how we feel.’’  But just removing the video would never absolve the sorrow that filled the hearts of Kumaritashvilli’s family and friends.  His name will always be remembered in sorrow during the Olympic Games.