Luger's death casts somber tone to Vancouver Games

VANCOUVER — The death of Nodar Kumaritashvili of Republic of Georgia, just hours before the opening ceremonies at the Vancouver Games, cast a somber mood over the sliding sports venue in Whistler and throughout the Olympic community.

The 21-year-old luger, traveling about 90 mph, flew off the track near the end of a training run, hit a steel pillar and was later declared dead.

Nikolos Rurua, Georgia's minister of sport, called Kumaritashvili's death "devastating for us, for Georgian athletes, for Georgian delegation, for Georgian people."

http://www.usatoday.com