Rogge urges safe track in Sochi, IOC has "moral responsibility"

Feb 25, 2010, 20:42 GMT

Vancouver - IOC president Jacques Rogge has urged Russian organizers to ensure the safety of the sliding track at the 2014 Winter Olympics and said the death of a Georgian luger will forever be associated with the Vancouver Games.

The Olympics chief told reporters Thursday he has written to organizers of the Sochi Games asking that the track for luge, bobsleigh and skeleton be built 'absolutely for safety first.'

Rogge said that assuring the safety of competitors was the responsibility of 'everyone' involved in the running of the Vancouver Games.

'The track's conception is the responsibility of the (luge and bobsleigh) federations, its construction is the responsibility of VANOC (Vancouver organising committee), training and competition is the responsibility of the federations, and we, the IOC, have a moral responsibility to make sure the athletes compete in the best possible conditions,' he said.

Construction of the Sochi track is due to start this year. Organizers have already said it is designed to be 10-15 k/mh slower than Whistler Sliding Track where luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed in a training crash hours before the opening ceremony on February 12.

Some modifications have since been made to the Whistler track which has also seen several crash in men's and women's bobsleigh.

Investigations of the track should also take into account whether athletes were given enough practice on the track before competition, Rogge said.

'These investigations should take into account the infrastructure and the track itself, but also the rules of competition and the number of times each athlete was allowed a practice run on the track.

'Finally they must also look into the qualifying criteria for the Games, and on whether all athletes had the necessary experience.'

Rogge said the death of Kumaritashvili would always be 'a part of the Games', just as the deaths of Israeli athletes in the terrorist attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics and a bomb attack at the 1996 Atlanta Games would always be linked to those Games.

However he said the luger's death should be seen separately from the overall success and 'unique atmosphere' of the Vancouver Games. He compared the atmosphere to the 1994 winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway and the 2000 summer Games in Sydney.

'The people in Vancouver are partying and having fun,' he said. 'What will stand out is the communion between the citizens and the games.'