Olympics track had to undergo major change after athlete died in middle of training

A track at the Winter Olympics was forced to undergo a huge change after an athlete tragically died while training at the age of just 21.

Georgian Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was set to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.

However, he sadly died before he was ever able to compete for his country.

Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia lost his life while training. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

On the day of the opening ceremony, he suffered a fatal crash while on a training run, having lost control of his sled and hitting a steel pole beside the track.

A coroner’s report revealed his immediate cause of death as ‘multiple blunt force injuries due to or as a consequence of collision with a fixed structure’.

At the time of the incident, International Olympics Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge said the death ‘clearly casts a shadow over these Games’.

"The IOC is in deep mourning,'' Rogge added.

"[Kumaritashvili] lost his life pursuing his passion. I have no words to say what we feel.''

Officials from the International Luge Federation and the Vancouver 2010 organising committee said an investigation found ‘no indication the accident was caused by deficiencies in the track’, saying the track would reopen the following day with changes to ‘avoid that such an extremely exceptional accident could occur again’.

A vigil for Nodar Kumaritashvili took place prior to the opening ceremony. (Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

But after the accident, major changes were made to the track, with Reuters explaining how a wall was later raised and the ice profile of the track was altered to ensure similar incidents didn’t happen.

The outlet added that Lugers are now also given more training runs to get a better feel on the track.

The death marked a first at a major Luge competition in 35 years, cast a huge shadow over the Games – a sense that continued many years later.

Eight years after, Kumaritashvili's death could be felt in the design of the Olympic Sliding Centre track in Pyeongchang. Higher sidewalls and padded pillars were part of the stricter safety protocols in place since Vancouver.

Canadian Tristan Walker, who competed in the men's doubles event with Justin Snith in Vancouver, told Reuters at the time: "It was hard for everyone. It was obviously such a negative thing that overshadowed a lot of the Olympics."