I keep thinking about how trust played into the accidental death of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the 21 year old Olympic athlete from Georgia. I am sure by now you have heard about the horrific accident. He was on the last turn of a practice run on the luge, going 90 miles an hour. He came out a turn and slammed into the wall. He was ejected from his sled into the air and stopped by a steel pole just a few feet from the track. Unbelievable…
Being the father of an athlete myself, I know the excitement and the fear of every parent as they watch their children in a competitive event. I can’t imagine the pain in the hearts of his mother and father. The news images showed a stunned father, an Olympic luge athlete himself. All he could say was that he could not watch the accident on TV. His mother held her head in her hands. They are experiencing massive emotional pain. In an instant they moved from the highest level of pride and joy to the deepest grief. It is every parents nightmare.
Canada is also suffering a tragic start to the hosting of this world event. Leaders from all over are trying to share a perspective on the tragedy. Svein Romstad, Secretary General of the governing body for luge said, “It is the first time this has happened in 35 years, we are unfamiliar with how to deal with this.” President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia said, ”One thing I know for sure is that no sports mistake is supposed to lead to a death.” “I think they are pushing it a little too much,” Australia’s Hannah Campbell-Pegg said on Thursday after she nearly lost control in training. Nodar’s father reported, “He called me before the Olympics, three days ago, and he said, ‘Dad, I’m scared of one of the turns’.” Maybe the best thought came from the ex-mayor of Vancouver, Sam Sullivan, “I don’t think the public has any idea of the risks of these sports. People do put themselves at great risk doing what they love.”
People are speculating that the wall should have been higher or the beams should have been padded. Many said the track was to fast. Italian gold medalist Armin Zoggeler lost control and had to be taken off the track with medical attention, and another incident left a Romanian woman unconscious. Multiple complaints were lodged that the track was too fast and the Canadians did not give other athletes enough time to practice, giving themselves a competitive advantage. Others say this could have happened on any track in the world. As a result of Nodar’s dealth, workers constructed a high wooden wall and wrapped the beams in padding. The starting location and track profile was also changed to prevent a similar accident.
What does all this have to do with trust?
Nodar, his family, team and country all had an expectation that the track was designed, engineered and constructed to be safe. Canada’s reaction to this expectation is important, and the eyes and ears of the world are on her. What is right here? Deny anything was wrong, delay response and hope it goes away? Or, take responsibility even if you’re not sure who is at fault? What is the right thing to do? We know that most people are forgiving in a true accident, but something done for selfish reasons and then hidden can be remembered for a long time, sometime centuries as we have seen in some cultures.
This whole situation reminds me how interdependent we are. We depend on each other for everything. We can’t even drive down the road if we don’t have confidence the guy coming the other way won’t stay on their side. We have to trust people are doing their job, one person who does not do their job can have a disastrous effect on all of us, including losing our lives. Here are just a few situations that could have contributed to the accident.
- Did Canada allow fair access to all athletes?
- Did a “win at all cost, sacrifice safety for speed,” culture develop in Canada or the sport of luge racing?
- Was Nodar inexperienced ?
- Did his father’s legacy put to undo-pressure on him?
- Did the coach send a ill-prepared athlete down the track ?
- Was there a flaw in the design or engineering of the track?
- Should that wall have been higher?
- Was there a flaw in Nodar’s equipment?
- Did Nodar push his own limit to far?
- Did he lose trust in himself and freeze up during the run?
- Was it a combination of these reasons?
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
