2010 Winter Olympics – Let’s Not Hurt the Olympians

On February 12, 2010, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died on the luge run. It’s not a small thing when people die participating in their sport. But they do. It’s not uncommon. I don’t like seeing it happen–I think few people do.

In the aftermath of this tragedy, Olympic officials are tweaking that dangerous track exit. More…they are moving the start gate for the men lower down the track, to the women’s start. Many people are satisfied with this. It makes the luge run safer. I’m not one of those people. Why? Because of some, apparently misguided, notion that participants in an Olympics should be…well, Olympian. It shouldn’t lower its standard of excellence to those who aren’t quite in that class.

One of the things that was said in the aftermath of the luge accident was that the top 12-20 lugers in the world should have no problems negotiating the course. You know, that sounds about right. That sounds Olympian. Is it fair to everyone who wants to slide down the ice? No. It’s not supposed to be. If you are there just to participate, then bleed off your speed and take it slower. After all, you are there just to gain experience (right?), not kill yourself. I like to think it also elevates those who have the skill necessary to accomplish wondrous things on a sled. They are a class above. They are Olympian.

And it’s not just sliders who encounter this. Alpine skiers also complain about their courses most Olympics. Some are too easy. Some are so ridonkulous that they pass from Olympian to daredevil. Some of the problem is the vagaries inherent with a natural course. But some is a lack of standards. How difficult is it to mandate that X-percent of a course needs to be turns of this type while Y-percent of a course need to be for speed. And then tweaking those percentages based on venue conditions. I’m also not a fan of them icing down the course — it’s supposed to be skiing, not skating. Olympian skiers should be able to handle it. I don’t think those who saw Franz Klamer’s on-the-edge plunge on the rutty downhill course in Innsbruck in 1976 would say that the run he made was anything other than Olympian.

Olympic tests are supposed to be hard. Olympic runs should force those who aren’t the elite to throttle back a little–or accept the consequences when they overreach their abilities. It’s not about wanting to see people hurt; it’s about having an event that is something more than just another race on the circuit. It’s about doing something special. Some people will make mistakes and pay a price, but if the venue is a fair test of the best, then it should stand.