Some more thoughts on the Olympics
I like the racing events of the Olympics more than the others.
Luge and Skeleton are kind of the exceptions, as the riders seem so unprotected and in little control. I think you know where this is going. How chilling was that footage of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili? First, I think the networks erred in showing the footage, a mistake that they stopped repeating several hours after showing it. And, how weak was the response of officials, that it was driver error--a failure to correct a maneuver from the previous turn--that led to his death. Ok, fine, you make a mistake in a high-speed event and you can get hurt--there are risks of injury inherent in most sports--but it sounded like they were saying that death was an expected risk for this event. And the initial fix of padding the cement column? Come on, at 90 MPH would padding have helped? The only solution was what they finally did, boarding up the track to keep drivers who have crashed on the course, to prevent such sudden lethal stops. Good fix, but sadly too late for one athlete.
RIP Nodar Kumaritashvili
Luge and Skeleton are kind of the exceptions, as the riders seem so unprotected and in little control. I think you know where this is going. How chilling was that footage of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili? First, I think the networks erred in showing the footage, a mistake that they stopped repeating several hours after showing it. And, how weak was the response of officials, that it was driver error--a failure to correct a maneuver from the previous turn--that led to his death. Ok, fine, you make a mistake in a high-speed event and you can get hurt--there are risks of injury inherent in most sports--but it sounded like they were saying that death was an expected risk for this event. And the initial fix of padding the cement column? Come on, at 90 MPH would padding have helped? The only solution was what they finally did, boarding up the track to keep drivers who have crashed on the course, to prevent such sudden lethal stops. Good fix, but sadly too late for one athlete.
RIP Nodar Kumaritashvili
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