Olympic Chief Was Concerned About Luge Track One Year Before Fatal Crash

VANOC's John Furlong was worried after lugers clocked speeds 20 km/h faster than expected.

As Canadians prepare to mark the one-year anniversary of the Vancouver Olympics, memories of what was otherwise a very successful tournament for Canada are marred by the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili on Feb. 12, 2010. Kumaritashvili was killed in a crash during his final training run on the alarmingly fast Whistler luge track, which propelled athletes downhill at 154 km/h, 20 km/h quicker than its designers intended. It has now been discovered that the head of the Vancouver Olympic Committee John Furlong asked the organization’s legal team in March 2009 to look into potential ramifications of the high-speed track, but was advised that there was nothing to be done.