Written by Sarah Kyle
Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympics faced an extra chill with the tragic death of Nodar Kumaritashvili, a luger from Georgia, during a training accident.
The accident has generated controversy surrounding the safety of the course, as well as news networks’ decision to broadcast footage of the brutal accident.
The first issue I want to tackle is the safety of the course. Actually, let’s first take a look at the safety of the event itself, because I think the word “safe” can’t be applied to any part of the event.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love thrill-seeking, but I am also willing to recognize that safety doesn’t really exist when you choose to put yourself on a tiny metal contraption and launch yourself down an ice track at speeds as high as 90 mph. Honestly, I think the sport is pretty amazing because of the high risk involved.
I doubt that any luger, particularly at an Olympic level, never understood the risks of something he or she has done for the majority of his or her life. These men and women fully understand the risks involved in their profession. Anytime athletes engage in an extreme sport, they understand that accidents do happen.
After all, Kumaritashvili was not the first Olympic luger to die in training. Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki, a Polish-born British luger, died on a trial run just two weeks before the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.
I guess my point is that Olympic athletes know the risk of doing the things they do. Are the deaths absolutely tragic? Yes, of course. Could anything have been done to prevent Kumaritashvili’s death? Possibly. But is there really any way to know that? The footage has been analyzed. Athletes have been questioned. The evidence is inconclusive.
The reality is that there is only so much officials can do to make the sport safe. As with most things in life, there is a correlated risk to dangerous activities.
The second controversy I would like to address is the decision to air the footage of the accident. While the Olympic committee has removed much of the video’s presence on the Internet, the fact remains that the rather graphic footage was broadcast and later replayed on national television during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.
This is where the waters can get a little murky. I can understand many people taking offense to that footage. His death was anything but subtle, and for years journalistic ethic codes would have prevented that footage from being broadcast.
What about parents watching the opening ceremonies who now have to explain the horrific death their children just witnessed?
On the other hand, people could argue that we see the same degree of violence on cable TV. I mean, how much brutality do we willingly subject ourselves to when we watch our favorite crime scene show?
So what was the right decision? Personally, I don’t think the footage should have aired, and certainly should have never been replayed. While I recognize that we subject ourselves daily to violence, there is a distinct difference between “pretend” violence and the visual and graphic death of a real person.
Kumaritashvili had friends back home. He had family. Imagine what you would do if you were watching TV and had to see your friend’s death in complete detail. The video did not just provide an accurate portrayal of the accident; it is a visual reminder that many people will not get out of their heads.
In the end, it’s all about choices. When faced with such a traumatic event, there are multiple ways to handle it. The controversy will continue to stir, but what will come out of Kumaritashvili’s death? Perhaps the dangers of the luge will be analyzed. Perhaps journalistic discretion will be reevaluated. But whatever happens, let us remember that a life was lost. And that, in itself, is a tragedy.
