Saturday, February 12, 2011

Flashback: Feb. 12, 2010

Coroners service shuts sliding centre
Bob Mackin, QMI Agency

VANCOUVER: The Whistler Sliding Centre is closed while officials from the British Columbia Coroners Service investigate the death of a Georgian luger who died Friday morning in a training session.

Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, crashed in the final training session Friday morning. The Whistler Sliding Centre is the fastest sledding track in the world.

“The facility is currently closed for the purpose of this investigation,” BCCS provincial director Jeff Dolan told QMI. “Once the coroner or other investigators determine it’s safe to reopen the track, they will do so.”
Dolan said the luger’s fatal injuries will be examined, the equipment and track will be inspected and a detailed account of the
incident will be compiled.

The death was the most noteworthy sports event tragedy in the region since Molson Indy Vancouver track worker Jean Patrick Hein was struck by the racecar driven by Willy T. Ribbs on Sept. 2, 1990 near B.C. Place Stadium.

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