Word: kumaritashvili
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...probability will prevail. During the 2006 Winter Games, snowboard cross - making its rookie debut in the Olympics - was a charming hit. Without question, it's one of the more spectator-friendly events; the races are fast, unpredictable and dramatic at the finish. Since the death of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili last week, however, it hasn't been that much fun to witness such dangerous pursuits...
...luge final at the Whistler Sliding Center, Lawthers enthusiastically shows off both her cowbells - one has a pink ribbon that Mazder's girlfriend gave him - and the "Go Chris!" face paint on her cheeks. But mention Friday's tragic luge accident, which claimed the life of Nodar Kumaritashvili, who hailed the former Soviet republic of Georgia, and Lawthers' sunny mood soon turns dark. "A death happened just the other day, and here I am cheering," she says. "I do think about that, and I do feel...
...After the accident, in which Kumaritashvili was thrown from his sled into a metal pole on the track's final turn during a practice run, Olympic officials considered postponing or even canceling the event. But the athletes themselves met with each other last Friday and urged organizers to push forward. "We thought it was a way to show that life goes on," says Shiva K.P. Keshavan from India, who finished in 29th place of 39 competitors. "But Nodar will never be forgotten." Until Friday, the Whistler track was proudly marketed as the fastest in the world, as sleds approached...
...alterations, however, couldn't eliminate the psychological toll of Kumaritashvili's accident. "I was pretty scared the whole time," says Domen Pociecha of Slovakia, who finished 27th. "Of course, what happened will still go through your mind. It doesn't matter where you start." Many athletes were grateful for the adjustments. "The track was really, really fast today," says Polish luger Maciej Kurowski, who finished 23rd. "If we would have kept it at the men's start, it would have been crazy fast...
Before the ceremony began, the public-address announcer declared that the event would be dedicated to Kumaritashvili. The crowd gave the small clutch of Georgian athletes, clearly saddened and wearing black armbands in honor of their fallen teammate, a classy standing ovation as they entered the arena. Toward the end of the evening, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said a few words in Kumaritashvili's honor before the torch was lit: he genuinely seemed to be struggling...