The Whistler Sliding Centre

The Whistler Sliding Centre
Venue located on a mountainside.
The Whistler Sliding Centre shown in June 2008. The refrigeration plant is shown behind turn 16.
Location Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
Time zone PST (GMT-8)
Capacity 12,000
Owner VANOC (2005 to 2010), Whistler 2010 Sports Legacies (since the end of the 2010 Winter Olympics)
Operator VANOC (2005 to 2010), Whistler 2010 Sports Legacies (since the end of the 2010 Winter Olympics)
Broke ground 1 June 2005
Opened 19 December 2007
Construction cost C$105 million[1]
Architect Stantec Architecture Limited[1]
Major events 2010 Winter Olympics
FIL World Luge Championships 2013
Bobsleigh-skeleton
Surface Reinforced concrete with ammonia refrigeration piping that is turned on to create 2 to 5 cm (0.79 to 2.0 in) of ice.[1]
Length 1.45[1] km (0.901[1] mi)
Turns 16[1]
Lap record 50.86 (Bobsleigh)[2], 52.20 (Skeleton)[3] ( Steven Holcomb, Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler, & Curtis Tomasevicz (USA) (Bobsleigh)[2],  Jon Montgomery (CAN) (Skeleton)[3], , Both 2010[2][3])
Luge - men's singles
Surface Reinforced concrete with ammonia refrigeration piping that is turned on to create 2 to 5 cm (0.79 to 2.0 in) of ice.[1]
Length 1.374[1] km (0.853[1] mi)
Turns 16[1]
Lap record 46.808[4] ( Felix Loch (GER)[4], , 2009[4])
Luge - women's singles/ men's doubles
Surface Reinforced concrete with ammonia refrigeration piping that is turned on to create 2 to 5 cm (0.79 to 2.0 in) of ice.[1]
Length 1.198[1] km (0.744[1] mi)
Turns 14[1]
Lap record 48.992 (Women's singles)[5], 48.608 (Men's doubles)[6] ( Natalie Geisenberger (GER) (Women's singles)[5],  Patric Leitner & Alexander Resch (GER) (Men's doubles)[6], , Both 2009.[5][6])
Junior
Surface Reinforced concrete with ammonia refrigeration piping that is turned on to create 2 to 5 cm (0.79 to 2.0 in) of ice.[1]
Length 0.931[1] km (0.578[1] mi)
Turns 11[1]
Lap record 41.481 (Women's singles)[7], 41.332 (Men's doubles)[8] ( Tatjana Hüfner (GER) (Women's singles)[7],  Andreas Linger & Wolfgang Linger (AUT) (Men's doubles)[8], , Both 2010[7][8])

The Whistler Sliding Centre (French: Centre des sports de glisse de Whistler) is a Canadian bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in the Fitzsimmons Creek valley in Whistler, British Columbia that is 125 km (78 mi) north of Vancouver. Situated on the lowermost slopes of Blackcomb Mountain, one of two ski mountains forming the Whistler Blackcomb resort, this venue hosted the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton competitions for the 2010 Winter Olympics, which was co-hosted by Vancouver and the Resort Municipality of Whistler.

Design work started in late 2004 with construction taking place from June 2005 to December 2007. Bobsledders Pierre Lueders and Justin Kripps of Canada took the first run on the track on 19 December 2007. Homologation took place in March 2008 with over 200 runs from six different start houses, and was approved both by the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation (FIBT) and the International Luge Federation (FIL). World Cup competitions were held in February 2009 for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton with the top speed for all World Cup events set by German luger Felix Loch at 153.98 km/h (95.68 mph).

On 12 February 2010, the day of the Olympic opening ceremonies, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed during a training run while reportedly going 143.3 km/h (89.0 mph). This resulted in the men's singles event being moved to the women's singles and men's doubles start house while both the women's singles and men's doubles event were moved to the junior start house. During actual luge competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics, there were only two crashes, which resulted in one withdrawal. Skeleton competitions on 18–19 February had no crashes though two skeleton racers were disqualified for technical reasons. The two-man bobsleigh event had 11 crashes during the first two days of practice, resulting in supplemental training for both the two-woman and the four-man events. Crashes occurred during all three bobsleigh events at the 2010 Games.

Safety concerns have affected the track design for the Russian National Sliding Centre that will be used for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. A 20-page report was released by the FIL to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 12 April 2010 and to the public on FIL's website on 19 April 2010. Constructed on part of First Nations spiritual grounds, the track won two provincial concrete construction awards in 2008 while the refrigeration plant earned Canada's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) "gold" certification two years later.

Contents

History

Awarding and construction (2004–07)

At the 115th IOC Session held in Prague, Vancouver was chosen to host the 2010 Winter Olympics over Pyongchang, South Korea, and Salzburg, Austria.[9] On 15 November 2004, it was announced that Stantec Architecture Limited, which designed the 2002 Winter Olympic bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Park City, Utah in the United States, would provide detail design and site master plan of the track based on track design of German designer Udo Gurgel of IBG in Leipzig, Germany.[10][11] Gurgel also designed the tracks used in Oberhof, Germany, the tracks used for the 1988 (Calgary) and the 2006 Winter Olympics (Cesana Pariol), and is designing the Russian National Sliding Centre used for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.[11]

Site construction of the facility began on 1 June 2005 following environmental approval from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.[12][13] Safety and security was put in place on the site at that time.[13] During its building peak in the summer of 2006, more than 500 workers were involved both at the Sliding Centre and at the Whistler Nordic Venue (now Whistler Olympic Park).[14] A core group of 60 workers was involved with track construction from June 2005 to December 2007.[15] Basic track construction was completed in November 2007 though fit-out and testing continued into 2008.[16]

First testing and certification (2007–08)

The first run was on on 19 December 2007 with Canadian bobsledder Pierre Lueders and his brakeman Justin Kripps starting at the Junior Start house 520 m (1,710 ft) down the 1,450 m (4,760 ft) track.[17][18] A total of six runs were made under the auspices of the FIBT.[17] The Canadian Luge Association opened a branch at the track in February 2008.[19] Luge tests occurred in late February 2008 and among the participants were Tatjana Hüfner, David Möller (both Germany), Tony Benshoof, Erin Hamlin, Christian Niccum, Dan Joye (all United States), Armin Zöggeler (Italy), Markus Schiegl, Tobias Schiegl (both Austria), Jeff Christie, Ian Cockerline, Samuel Edney, Regan Lauscher, Meaghan Simister, Chris Moffat, and Mike Moffat (all Canada).[19][20] Bobsleigh participants during homologation in March 2008 included André Lange, Sandra Kiriasis (both Germany), Alexandre Zoubkov (Russia), Lueders, Lyndon Rush, Helen Upperton, Lisa Szabon (all Canada), and Shauna Rohbock (United States) while skeleton participants included Kristan Bromley (Great Britain), Katie Uhlaender, Zach Lund (both United States), Kerstin Jürgens (Szymkowiak since summer 2008 – Germany), Jon Montgomery, Jeff Pain, Michelle Kelly, and Lindsay Alcock (all Canada).[21] Over 200 runs were taken from six different starting positions on the track.[22] Praise was given both by the FIBT and the FIL over the successful certification of the track.[22] The Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) reviewed the recommendations made from both the FIBT and the FIL to fine tune the track.[22] Canadian teams continued testing and training at the track until 20 March 2008.[22] A total of 2155 runs (335 bobsleigh, 1077 luge, and 743 skeleton) took place at the track with a total of 15 crashes.[23] Final track inspection by the FIL Executive Board took place 25–27 September 2008 before the International Training Week later that year.[24]

2008–09 Luge World Cup, including training

International Training Week for luge took place at the track 7–15 November 2008 to get sliders familiarized with it.[23][25] A total of 2482 runs took place during the training with several injuries occurring, most notably Loch, the 2008 men's singles world champion, who injured his shoulder.[26] In a 9 December 2008 press release, the Centre was continuing homologation by adding protections on the track against crashes and weather.[27] FIL President Josef Fendt stated that the track's speed was too high with the top speed reaching 149 km/h (93 mph) during the training.[28] From the 2482 runs executed during the International Training week for luge, there were 73 crashes, a crash rate of three percent which was normal during the testing of new tracks.[28] Three lugers, including Loch, were sent to the hospital, but later released.[28] Italy's Zöggeler stated that "The track can be tackled." and "...does not see big problems for the athletes" while Fendt called for the top track speed for future tracks to be lowered to 135 or 136 km/h (84 or 85 mph) where possible.[28] For the 2008–09 World Cup season, 15115 runs were made for bobsleigh (2153), luge (9672), and skeleton (3290).[23] After the World Cup event on 20–21 February 2009, Austria's Andreas Linger described the track as "... fast, incredibly fast."[29] Loch stated that the men's singles luge speeds reached 100 km/h (62 mph) at the women's singles and men's doubles start house, located before turn three.[29] A total of 2818 runs for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton were made at the track during the four-week time period for the World Cup events.[30] FIL President Fendt stated that "... [my] technical delegate told me this week that the Games could start tomorrow and the track would be ready." and he appreciated "...the whole Whistler Sliding Centre."[30] At the 2008–09 World Cup season finale, 135 athletes participated (67 men, 42 women, and 26 doubles) though 144 athletes from 23 countries were registered.[30][23] During the Luge World Cup event that weekend, 186 runs took place with 16 crashes.[23]

2008–09 Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup and training

A man celebrating victory in a competition.
2010 Winter Olympic men's skeleton champion Jon Montgomery of Canada was one of the first skeleton racers to test the Sliding Centre track.

Bobsleigh and 2008–09 skeleton training week took place on 25–31 January 2009 to prepare for their respective World Cup events on 5–7 February 2009.[31] A total of 250 competitors from 24 countries took part in the World Cup practice for all five events (Bobsleigh two-man, bobsleigh two-woman, bobsleigh four-man, and men's and women's skeleton).[32] Competition and weather affected testing and World Cup runs for the two-week time period.[32] A team of 118 personnel and 276 volunteers worked consecutive weeks at the Training Week and World Cup events.[32] Track director Craig Lehto stated that the volunteer efforts were similar to what he had seen both at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.[32] The final two days of competition had 3000 total spectators.[32] Medical services, led by VANOC and FIBT medical director Dr. David McDonagh, tested themselves with first responder care and mock scenarios that included athlete extraction from the sled if the accident was severe enough.[32] These services were tested again during the Luge World Cup competition on 20–21 February 2009.[32] A total of 15,000 spectators attended all five days for the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton World Cup events, all sold out.[30] FIBT President Robert H. Storey stated that the Centre "... is fast, technical, demanding, and interesting.".[30] A total of 235 athletes participated in the 2008–09 World Cup event (92 four-man, 54 two-man, 40 two-woman, 28 men's skeleton, and 21 women's skeleton).[30]

2009–10 World Cups, including training

Between 27 October and 7 November 2009, a paid training session took place at the Centre for bobsleigh teams in preparation for the 2010 Games.[33] A second International Training Week for luge took place on 9–15 November 2009 in preparation for the 2010 Games with the participation of 156 athletes from 27 nations.[34][35] Venezuela's Werner Hoeger was knocked unconscious during a practice run on 13 November 2009 and was denied any further make-up runs.[36] During training that week, Hoeger expressed concern about the safety of the track.[36] These concerns called for the resignation of track director Ed Moffat, father of lugers Chris and Mike, to offer equal runs to all lugers in future events, to have Canada forfeit any extra training runs that were negotiated for the 2014 Winter Olympics, and for the Canadian Luge Association be reprimanded for unethical actions and not providing a safe sliding environment, especially after speeds were 10 mph (16 km/h) higher than expected.[36] Canadian Luge Association officials declined to comment though they stated to the New York Times that the lugers received up to three times the amount of training runs offered in the run-up to the 2006 Winter Olympics at Cesana Pariol.[36] Team Canada (luge) did not participate in the World Cup event in Lillehammer, Norway during 12–13 December 2009 to train at the Sliding Centre and to compete at the Canadian National Championships that took place on 17 December 2009.[37] A training restriction went into effect on 31 December 2009 where only host nation Canada along with athletes from developing nations were allowed to train before the 2010 Games.[35] For the 2009–10 season, there were a total of 15,736 runs among bobsleigh (2512), luge (8794), and skeleton (4070) with a total of 115 crashes among the three sliding disciplines.[23]

Public opening and post-Olympic usage

The Centre's official website was launched in late June 2008.[38] Public self-guided walking tours ran from 3 July through 31 August 2008.[39][40] The cost to the public was 5 Canadian dollars with children under 12 having free admission to the Centre.[40] World Cup competition for bobsleigh and skeleton took place on 2–8 February 2009 while luge took place on 20–21 February 2009.[29][31] The track was a finalist for the 2012 FIL World Luge Championships along with Altenberg, Germany, at the 2008 FIL Congress in Calgary, Alberta, but the track withdrew its bid prior to selection on 28 June 2008.[41][42] During a meeting of the FIL Commission at St. Leonhard, Austria on the weekend of 4–5 April 2009, it was recommended that the Centre be host for the 2013 FIL World Luge Championships.[43] This was confirmed at the 57th FIL Congress meeting in Liberec, Czech Republic on 19–20 June 2009.[44]

Post-Olympic usage would be a responsibility of the Whistler 2010 Sports Legacies which would operate the Sliding Centre, Whistler Olympic Park, and the Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Village.[45] The goal of this organization is to promote the legacy of the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics, promote healthy lifestyles and tourism in the British Columbia province, and offer revenue for the maintenance of the three facilities.[46]

2010 Winter Olympics

Nodar Kumaritashvili

On 12 February 2010, hours before the opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili suffered a crash coming out of turn 16, during a training run.[47] Kumaritashvili was injured when he flew off the track and collided with a steel pole.[48][49] He was going 143.3 km/h (89.0 mph) at the time of the crash.[48] Kumaritashvili died later that day from the injuries sustained in that crash.[50] His accident came after a series of incidents during that week and reignited concerns about the track's safety.[50] Kumaritashvili was the first Olympic athlete to die at the Winter Olympics in training since 1992 and the first luger to die in a practice event at the Winter Olympics since Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypeski of Great Britain was killed at the luge track used for the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck.[51] It was also luge's first fatality since 10 December 1975 when an Italian luger was killed.[52] A joint statement was issued by the FIL, the IOC, and VANOC over Kumaritashvili's death suspending training for the rest of that day.[53] According to the Coroners Service of British Columbia and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the cause was Kumaritashvili coming out of turn 15 late and not compensating before turn 16.[54]

As a preventative measure, an extra 100 ft (30 m) of wall was added after the end of Turn 16, and the ice profile was changed. Also, the men's singles luge event start was moved from its starthouse to the one for both the women's singles and men's doubles event.[55] Women's singles and men's doubles start was moved to the Junior start house of the track, located after turn 5.[56] Germany's Natalie Geisenberger complained that it was not a women's start but more of a kinder ("child" in German) start. Her teammate Hüfner, who had the fastest speed on the two practice runs at 82.3 mph (132.4 km/h), stated that the new start position "..does not help good starters like myself.".[56] American Erin Hamlin, the 2009 women's singles world champion, stated the track was still demanding even after the distance was lessened from 1,193 to 953 m (3,914 to 3,127 ft) and one was still hitting 80 mph (130 km/h).[56]

During a 14 February 2010 interview with Reuters, FIL Secretary-General Svein Romstad stated that the federation considered cancelling the luge competition in the wake of Kumaritashvili's death two days earlier.[57] Romstad stated that "[Kumaritashvili] ... made a mistake" on the crash, however "...any fatality is unnacceptable".[57] Additionally, Romstad stated that the start houses were moved to their current locations "... mostly for an emotional reason".[57] Because of Kumaritashvili's death, the FIL is working with the Sochi 2014 Olympic Organizing Committee over making the Russian National Sliding Centre in Rzhanaya Polyana slower in speed.[57] Canada's Alex Gough commented on the 14th (two days after Kumaritashvili's death) that "We’ve got the world championships here in a few years (2013) so hopefully we can actually have a race." instead of the start at the Junior start house.[58]

On 18 February 2010, FIL President Fendt issued the following statement:

“ At the conclusion of the luge competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, our thoughts are with the family of Nodar Kumaritashvili. We again offer our heartfelt condolences to them, to his friends and to the entire Georgian Luge Federation. Nodar Kumaritashvili will forever stay in the hearts of all the members of the Luge family.

This has also been a difficult time for the Olympic athletes who competed in these Games. Their solidarity and sportsmanship was a tribute to the friend we lost. The International Luge Federation is touched by the outpouring of compassion and sympathy from people around the world. We will leave Whistler determined to do all we can to prevent a recurrence of this tragic event.[59]

 ”

Kumaritashvili was buried in his hometown of Bakuriani on 20 February 2010.[60] Concerns were raised by Georgian National Olympic Committee president Gia Natsvlishvili and Georgia president Mikheil Saakashvili, along with anger toward the Sliding Centre's organizers that the safety concerns were not addressed.[60]

Luge

Athlete celebrating victory in event.
German luger Hüfner celebrating at the Sliding Centre following her gold in the women's singles event at the 2010 Winter Olympics on 16 February.

On 11 February 2010, Romania's Violeta Strămăturaru was knocked unconscious after slamming into several walls during a training run.[61] She was strapped to a backboard and placed on a stretcher though her arms were moving.[61] Strămăturaru's sister Raluca, who had completed her run before her sister and made it through without issue, rushed to the end of the observation deck to know about her condition as Terry Kent, the public address announcer,[62] directed medical personnel to the scene.[61] Violeta later withdrew before the event while Raluca finished 21st.[7]

In the first run of the men's doubles luge competition on 17 February 2010, Austria's team of Tobias Schiegl and Markus Schiegl survived a crash on turn 16 where they came in too high. Tobias tried to correct the oversteer only to have the cousins collide on the opposite side of the ice wall, causing both to go airborne momentarily. Neither suffered any injury.[63]

During the ten actual competitive runs (four men single, four women single, and two doubles), there was only one crash which was Romania's Mihaela Chiras during the second run of the women's singles event.[64] Each of the five days of luge competition was attended by a sold-out crowd of 12,000 spectators.[64]

Event winners were Germany's Felix Loch in men's singles,[65] Germany's Tatjana Hüfner in women's singles,[7] and Austria's Andreas and Wolfgang Linger in doubles.[8]

Skeleton

Woman celebrating victory in sports competition.
2010 Winter Olympics women's skeleton gold medalist Amy Williams of Great Britain celebrating at the medal ceremony on 19 February 2010.

The first skeleton practice began down the full length of the course on 15 February 2010.[66] It was the first time the full length of the course had been practiced on since Kumaritashvili's death three days earlier.[66] Britain's Shelley Rudman stated that "The IOC and VANOC have done all they can to make it a safe environment".[66] Canada's Mellisa Hollingsworth had the fastest women's practice runs while her teammate Montgomery had the fastest men's practice runs.[66] Jon Montgomery and Hollingsworth had the fastest times on the 16th and the 17th, the last day of training runs.[67][68]

No crashes occurred during the skeleton competitions though Canada's Michael Douglas was disqualified in the men's event after the second run for not getting his sled into parque fermé, the area where the skeleton sleds are inspected before they go down the Sliding Centre, in a timely manner prior to the third run. Douglas was in seventh place after two runs.[69] Japan's Nozomi Komuro was disqualified after the first run of the women's event for not having an official FIBT control sticker 35 minutes before the start of the second run.[70]

Event winners were Montgomery in the men's and Britain's Amy Williams in the women's.[3][71]

Bobsleigh

Bobsleigh practice began on 17 February 2010 with the two-man event. Eight crashes among 57 runs took place that day.[72] Three crashes occurred during the two-man training session on 18 February 2010.[73] Among the crashes in the two-man event were Switzerland's Beat Hefti and Daniel Schmid with both withdrawing.[74] Schmid also withdrew from the four-man event for safety reasons.[74][75][76] Supplemental training was offered on 19 February 2010 to both the two-woman and four-man bobsleigh events out of caution and further preparation for both events that took place the following week.[77]

American bobsledder Shauna Rohbock expressed concerns on the 19th that the track could generate speeds that were too dangerous for racing.[74] She stated that she had never experienced speeds that high, not even at the track in St. Moritz, Switzerland.[74] Officials had told Rohbock that they were considering sanding the runners to slow down the speeds reached by all sleds during competition.[74] Elana Meyers, an American brakewoman who would later win bronze in the two-woman event, commented on Twitter that same day that "We (referring to her and her driver Erin Pac) went 145 km/h (90 mph)... that's fast!"[74] One crash occurred on the 19th for the two-woman event when Dutch bobsledder Esme Kamphuis crashed out in the final corners of the track.[74] Rohbock's remarks were tempered the following day by saying she felt safe as long as she did not crash.[78]

During the two-man event, runs three and four on 21 February 2010 were rescheduled to 16:00 PST (00:00 UTC on 22 February) for run three and 17:35 PST (01:35 UTC on the 22nd) for run four due to unseasonable warm weather.[79] Temperatures reached 10 °C (50 °F) on the afternoon of the 20th and were expected to reach 12 °C (54 °F) on the afternoon of the 21st.[79] For the first run on 20 February 2010, a sled from Australia crashed out and did not finish, while a sled from Great Britain was disqualified when the sled's brakeman was ejected during the first run.[80] One of Austria's sled was disqualified for violating the total weight rule.[80] Liechtenstein's sled crashed out during the first run and finished, but did not start the second run.[80] No crashes occurred in the final two runs of the event.[81] Germany's André Lange and Kevin Kuske won the two-man event.[82]

Sled in action during a sports event.
Sixth-place USA-1 (Steven Holcomb driving) racing the track in the first heat of the bobsleigh two-man competition on 20 February 2010.

Reactions from bobsledders about the track during the two-man event varied from exciting to anxious to dangerous.[78] FIBT stated that its goal was to have all drivers performing a minimum of 40 runs at the track.[78] According to FIBT records, Jan Vrba of the Czech Republic had never driven the track, Serbia's Vuk Radjenovic had only four runs while both Australia's Jeremy Rollestone and Liechtenstein's Michael Klingler had eight runs each.[78] Both Klingler and Rollestone crashed out during the first run of the event.[78] Belgian bobsledder Elfje Willemsen stated that the track was "...fast...and...difficult, but it's not like terrifying.", while American bobsledder Bree Schaaf commented that "...this is such an intense track, ...[but]... that's going to make for an exicting games. ...It's going to be an incredible race.".[78] Carmen Radenovic of Romania stated that Whistler was her favorite track and loved it very much.[78] Dutch coach Tom De La Hunty, who competed for Great Britain at the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics, stated at a 19 February 2010 coaches meeting that "there were lots of coaches talking about how dangerous this track is, we’ve got to re-cut it, we’ve got to slow it down." though most of the concerns were raised by individual coaches from other nations.[78] The Associated Press (AP) spoke to 13 of the 21 drivers who competed at the two-woman event on 23–24 February 2010 and the only one who did not feel safe on the track was Pac of the United States.[78] The three German drivers who competed in the two-woman event stated through a team spokeswoman that they had no safety concerns about the track.[78]

Sled in action during a sports event at night.
Canada-1's gold medal team of Humphries (driving) and Moyse racing in the fourth run of bobsleigh two-woman event on 24 February 2010.

Minor changes were made to the track on 22 February 2010 after bobsleigh four-man teams from Latvia and Croatia rolled over in supplementary training.[83] Following a meeting with 11 team captains, training runs were postponed by the FIBT until later that day to adjust the shape of turn 11 so it would be easier for sleds to get through the rest of the track without crashing.[83] FIBT spokesman Don Krone stated that "...some drivers have been experiencing difficulties transitioning from turn 11 to turn 12.".[83] As a result, Krone stated that "...[the]...FIBT track commission, in conjunction with VANOC and with advice from a number of team captains, ... [were] ... working on the shape of turn 11 to make it easier for drivers to get high enough on 11 to turn 12 so that they can successfully make it through turn 13.".[83] Krone also stated that it was common that turn profiles were changed when it was being used by other sliding disciplines such as luge and skeleton.[83]

After track alterations were done on 23 February 2010, the two fastest four-man times were done by Germany's Lange and the United States' Steven Holcomb.[84] Australia withdrew its four-man team on 23 February 2010 after two of its crew members, Duncan Harvey and Duncan Pugh, suffered concussions from crashes sustained while training on the track. Australia's chef de mission Ian Chesterman stated that the decision was not taken lightly and was done on the side of safety.[85] Latvia's Janis Minins in the meantime returned to competition on the 23rd in the four-man event following emergency surgery eleven days earlier.[86] He withdrew from the four-man event two days later to crashing twice during practice when one of his crews suffered a concussion and another suffered bruised lungs and elbows.[87]

Sled starting run during a sports event.
United States-1's gold medal team (Front: Holcomb, Back (left to right): Mesler, Tomasevicz, and Olsen) starting the third run of the bobsleigh four-man event on 27 February 2010.

During the two-woman event, defending world champion Nicole Minichiello of Britain had her sled flip over after turn 12 during the third run, but both Minichiello and her brakeman Gillian Cooke walked away from the crash.[88] Minichiello and Cooke decided not to start the final run.[88] In the final run, Russia-2's sled crashed which kept them at their finishing position of 18th.[88] Meanwhile, the Germany-2 sled of Cathleen Martini and Romy Logsch was in fourth place after the third run, but was disqualified after Martini crashed in turn 13 of the final run, causing Logsch to be ejected from the sled.[88] Both Martini and Logsch walked away from the crash by themselves.[89] Before to this incident, Martini had never crashed before in her career.[89] Canada's Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse won the event.[90]

Lange had the fastest practice times in the four-man event on the 24th with the final two practices taking place on the 25th.[91] That same day, Edwin van Calker of the Netherlands withdrew due to a lack of confidence of driving the four-man sled during the event, despite no crashes during four-man training that had taken place before that day.[91] The Dutch team supported van Calker's decision.[91]

For the four-man event's first two runs on 26 February, defending world champion Holcomb posted the fastest track times in both runs while defending Olympic champion Lange had the fastest start times.[92] Russia-2 driven by Alexandr Zubkov, the defending four-man silver medalist and bronze medalist in the two-man event at these Games, crashed out in the first run when one of his steering ropes broke.[92] Austria-1 and Slovakia-1 also crashed out in the first run, and neither sled started the second run with Russia-1.[92] Second run crashes involved USA-2, Great Britain-1, and Japan-1.[92] USA-2 did not start the third run. There were no crashes in the final two runs of the event.[2] America's team of Holcomb, Steve Mesler, Curtis Tomasevicz, and Justin Olsen won the event.[2]

Overall safety concerns

A man reacts with sorrow during an interview.
IOC President Jacques Rogge at a press conference following the death of Kumaritashvili at the Sliding Centre, on 12 February 2010.

Kumaritashvili's death raised concerns about athlete safety at the Winter Olympics.[93] As of 21 February 2010, there were 30 crashes in bobsleigh and luge at the Sliding Centre.[93] It has raised debate on tightening qualification standards to weed out unqualified athletes, requiring a large number of training runs, slowing down the sliding tracks, or a combination of all three.[93] The Russian National Sliding Centre planned for the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events at the 2014 Winter Olympics has not been built, but organizers already said that it is designed to be 6 to 9 km/h (3.7 to 5.6 mph) slower than The Whistler Sliding Centre and will be monitored via 3-D computer graphics and simulation.[93] The IOC has improved safety standards over the years, including lowering obstacles for the equestrian three-day event, requiring protective head gear for boxing and ice hockey, and tightening qualification standards to preclude athletes not qualified for the event.[74] FIBT President Storey wanted to wait to review safety of bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton until after the 2010 Games, stating that track designers needed to find a balance between challenges and dangers on the track.[74] Track designer Udo Gurgel of Germany told Sport Bild that perhaps track walls should be raised 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) on future courses though a risk-proof course may not be possible.[93] According to VANOC, over 30,000 runs were made prior to the games with neither the FIBT nor the FIL issuing public danger warnings about the track.[93] IOC President Jacques Rogge stated that he "...will do everything in my power that this should not happen again in the future".[93]

The FIL published their reports in regards to Kumaritashvili's death following the FIL Commissions Meeting in St. Leonhard for both sport and technical commissions on 9–11 April 2010.[94] This report was prepared by Romstad and Claire DelNegro, FIL Vice-President Sport Artificial Track.[94] The 20-page report was released by the FIL to the IOC on 12 April 2010 and was released on FIL's website on 19 April 2010.[95][96][23]

Track technical details

Map of a competition venue
The Whistler Sliding Centre track map

Construction

This venue was constructed on a First Nations designated site.[97] To the Squamish, the area is referred to as a "Wild Spirit Place" or Kwekwayex Kwelh7aynexw while the Lil'oet call the area A7x7ulmecw or "Spirited Ground".[97] It represents the beating of the Thunderbird's huge wings filled with thunder in the air.[97]

Originally budgeted for C$55 million, the track's actual costs were C$105 million (€68 million).[29] The track is made of 350 metric tons (340 LT; 390 ST) of reinforced concrete that was applied using pressurized spraying to reach a maximum thickness of 6 in (15 cm).[13][15][39] Additionally, the track contains 12 km (7.5 mi) of steel conduit, 600 awnings, and 700 lights. A total of 350 track footings were used to set the track on its proper foundation.[14] Forty percent of those footings were complete by July 2006.[14] There are over 100 km (62 mi) of ammonia refrigeration piping used to keep the track frozen.[14][39] Sloping and curves were contoured to within 1 to 3 mm (0.039 to 0.12 in) of the planned design course.[15] Ice thickness is 2 to 5 cm (0.79 to 2.0 in) maintained by hand.[39] The Sliding Centre has 36 on-track video cameras and 42 "timing eyes".[39] The track also includes a control tower and administration buildings.[14] There are two spectator overpasses (between turns 1 and 2, and turns 6 and 7) and three spectator underpasses (between turns 8 and 9, turns 11 and 12, and turns 15 and 16).[98] It seated 11,650 spectators during the 2010 Games.[13]

Sustainability

To promote sustainability, the site was selected directly adjacent to an already used part of a major ski area. It was also designed to minimize vegetation and the ecological footprint in the area. For energy efficiency, trees were retained to cast shade with weather protection and a shading system used to cover parts of the track. The track itself is painted white to maintain low tempeartures while minimizing energy demand on the refrigeration system. Waste heat from the refrigeration plant is captured and reused to heat buildings on-site and could provide other heat uses in the future. Any wood waste created from site clearing activities during venue construction was composted for reuse. Other on-site buildings also followed similar green building design principles.[99]

Awards

In 2008, the Sliding Centre received two British Columbia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association (BCRMCA) Awards for Excellence in Concrete Construction (CONNIE Award). The first CONNIE was for Public Works while the second one was for the Century Award.[100]

On 22 August 2006, VANOC targeted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Canada by applying for "Silver" green building certification for the 708 m2 (7,620 sq ft) refrigeration plant building. The refrigeration plant received "gold" certification level on 2 February 2010.[101]

Characteristics

Physical data[1]
Sport Length Turns Vertical drop (start to finish) Average grade (%)
Bobsleigh and skeleton 1,450 m (4,760 ft) 16 152 m (499 ft) 10.5
Luge – men's singles 1,374 m (4,508 ft) 16 Not listed Not listed
Luge – women's singles and doubles 1,193 m (3,914 ft) 14 Not listed Not listed
Junior (bobsleigh, skeleton, luge) 953 m (3,127 ft) 11 Not listed Not listed
Turns
Turn Name Origin of the name Ref
1 Slingshot For the slingshot effect of the turn after the start of the bobsleigh, skeleton, or men's single's luge run. [102]
2 Fallaway For the steep drop of the track after this curve. It has a 20% grade, the steepest part of the track. [102]
3 Wedge Where the doubles and women's single luge sleds coming from the start house "wedge" themselves onto the track. [103]
7 Lueders Loop After Canadian bobsledder Pierre Lueders, who crashed out at the curve during track homologization in March 2008. [29]
9, 10 Lynx After the large population of lynx located in the British Columbia province. Also to the turns being shaped like the top head of the lynx. [103][29][104]
11 Shiver After the turn sending shivers down an athlete's spine prior to entry into the next four corners of the track. [103][29]
12, 13, 14, 15 Gold Rush Trail Labyrinth of four curves without a straightaway. Named because a mistake on this part of the track could cost competitors a chance at a gold medal. Also a reference to the gold rushes in British Columbia that occurred between 1850 and 1899.

Turn 13 of the Gold Rush Trail was christened "50/50" by American bobsledder Steve Holcomb during the first day of four-man training in February 2009. 50% of the sleds crashed on Turn 13 on their runs that day. The next day, Holcomb posted the name on the wall of that turn, which the track manager approved. Holcomb's crew was also the first to go down the track that next day, successfully completing the run. The name has stuck, being used in broadcast coverage of the Vancouver Olympics.

 [103][29]
16. Thunderbird After the Thunderbird who is prevalent in much of Native culture in British Columbia. Represents the thunder in the air after a competitor finishes the track. Final curve. [103][97]

Turn names for 4–6 and 8 are not given.[29][103] During NBC Sports' American coverage of the two-man event on 20 February 2010, bobsleigh commentator John Morgan referred to the area between turns 1 and 2 as the "Launching Pad" in reference to the accelerated speed between those turns to get down the rest of the track.[105]

Track g-forces were expected to reach up to 5.02 for men's singles luge.[39] Maximum speed was reached at 147.9 km/h (91.9 mph) in four-man bobsleigh during the homologation process.[39]

Track records

The luge track records shown were set at the men's singles start house and women's singles/men's doubles start houses during the World Cup compeitition in February 2009. After Kumaritashvili's death on 12 February 2010, the competition for men's singles was moved to the women's singles/men's doubles start house while the competition for women's singles/ men's doubles was moved to the junior start house. The fastest runs set during the 2010 Winter Olympics are not on this list until an issue between the Whistler 2010 Sports Legacies and the FIL is resolved.

Track records
Event Record Athlete(s) Date Time (s) Ref
Bobsleigh – two-man Start  Beat Hefti & Thomas Lamparter (SUI) 6 February 2009 4.70 [82]
Bobsleigh – two-man Track  Thomas Florschütz & Richard Adjei (GER)
 André Lange & Kevin Kuske (GER)		 20 February 2010
21 February 2010		 51.57 [82]
Bobsleigh – four-man Start  André Lange, Kevin Kuske, Alexander Rödiger, & Martin Putze (GER) 26 February 2010 4.70 [2]
Bobsleigh – four-man Track  Steve Holcomb, Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler, & Curtis Tomasevicz (USA) 26 February 2010 50.86 [2]
Bobsleigh – two-woman Start  Kaillie Humphries & Heather Moyse (CAN) 23 February 2010
24 February 2010		 5.11 [90]
Bobsleigh – two-woman Track  Kaillie Humphries & Heather Moyse (CAN) 24 February 2010 52.85 [90]
Men's skeleton Start  Alexander Tretiakov (RUS) 18 February 2010 4.48 [3]
Men's skeleton Track  Jon Montgomery (CAN) 19 February 2010 52.20 [3]
Women's skeleton Start  Anja Huber (GER) 18 February 2010 4.90 [71]
Women's skeleton Track  Amy Williams (GBR) 19 February 2010 53.68 [71]
Luge – men's singles Start  Andi Langenhan (GER) 21 February 2009 3.541 [4]
Luge – men's singles Track  Felix Loch (GER) 21 February 2009 46.808 [4]
Luge – women's singles Start  Natalie Geisenberger (GER) 20 February 2009 7.183 [5]
Luge – women's singles Track  Natalie Geisenberger (GER) 20 February 2009 48.992 [5]
Luge – men's doubles Start  Tobias Wendl & Tobias Arlt (GER) 20 February 2009 7.054 [6]
Luge – men's doubles Track  Patric Leitner & Alexander Resch (GER) 20 February 2009 48.608 [6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 "Facts and Figures". Whistler Sliding Centre. http://whistlerslidingcentre.com/venue/facts/tabid/105/language/en-CA/default.aspx. Retrieved 3 July 2008. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "2010 Winter Olympics Bobsleigh four-man official results.". Fédération International de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT). 27 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/fileadmin/results/Vancouver%20Olympic%20Games/Feb%2027th%204Man%20Final%20Results.pdf. Retrieved 28 February 2010. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "2010 Winter Olympics Skeleton men's official results.". FIBT. 19 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/fileadmin/results/Vancouver%20Olympic%20Games/Feb%2019th%20Men%27s%20Skeleton%20Final%20Results.pdf. Retrieved 1 April 2010. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Luge World Cup Whistler men's singles results.". International Luge Federation (FIL). 21 February 2009. http://www.fil-luge.org/filext/result_detail_select.asp?lan=en&currSeason=2008%2F2009&art=KB&cup_type=WC+&event_id_fk=405. Retrieved 1 November 2009. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Luge World Cup Whistler women's singles results.". FIL. 20 February 2009. http://www.fil-luge.org/filext/result_detail_select.asp?lan=en&currSeason=2008%2F2009&art=KB&cup_type=WC+&event_id_fk=405. Retrieved 1 November 2009. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "Luge World Cup Whistler men's doubles results.". FIL. 20 February 2009. http://www.fil-luge.org/filext/result_detail_select.asp?lan=en&currSeason=2008%2F2009&art=KB&cup_type=WC+&event_id_fk=405. Retrieved 1 November 2009. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "2010 Winter Olympics Luge women's singles official results.". FIL. 16 February 2010. http://www.fil-luge.org/filext/result_detail_select.asp?lan=en&currSeason=2009%2F2010&art=&cup_type=&event_id_fk=484. Retrieved 1 April 2010. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "2010 Winter Olympics Luge doubles official results.". FIL. 17 February 2010. http://www.fil-luge.org/filext/result_detail_select.asp?lan=en&currSeason=2009%0&art=&cup_type=&event_id_fk=484. Retrieved 1 April 2010. 
  9. ↑ "Past Olympic city post election results.". Gamesbids.com. 20 June 2010. http://www.gamesbids.com/eng/past.html. Retrieved 20 June 2010. 
  10. ↑ "VANOC selects designer for Whistler Sliding Centre.". Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). 15 November 2004. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/vanoc-selects-designer-for-whistler-sliding-centre_35924mq.html. Retrieved 11 February 2008. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Leistungsspektrum Planungphase". IBG-Gurgel. http://ibg-gurgel.gmxhome.de/tipps.html. Retrieved 1 April 2010.  (German)
  12. ↑ "Whistler Sliding Centre Environmental Screening Process.". VANOC. 8 June 2005. http://www.vancouver2010.com/dl/00/03/62/05-06-08-wsc-ceaa-backgrounder-en_28d-IT.pdf. Retrieved 11 February 2008. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Preliminary site preparation begins on schedule at the Whistler Sliding Centre". VANOC. 7 June 2005. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/preliminary-site-preparation-begins-on-schedule-at-the-whistler-sliding-centre-following-environmental-screening-approval_36200HU.html. Retrieved 11 February 2008. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 "Construction Update: Whistler venues taking shape.". VANOC. 25 July 2006. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/feature-stories/construction-update--whistler-venues-taking-shape_38184ai.html. Retrieved 11 February 2008. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "Pride in a job well done.". VANOC. 14 December 2007. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/feature-stories/pride-in-a-job-well-done_39392qT.html. Retrieved 11 February 2008. 
  16. ↑ "More than two years before Games begin, construction completed at all Whistler-based Vancouver 2010 competition venues.". VANOC. 13 December 2007. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/more-than-two-years-before-games-begin--construction-completed-at-all-whistler-based-vancouver-2010-competition-venues_37750ty.html. Retrieved 11 February 2008. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Canadian bobsleigh hero takes first test runs at The Whistler Sliding Centre.". VANOC. 21 December 2007. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/canadian-bobsleigh-hero-takes-first-test-runs-at-the-whistler-sliding-centre_37790bS.html. Retrieved 11 February 2008. 
  18. ↑ "Leuders Takes First Run on 2010 Winter Olympic Track.". FIBT. 21 December 2007. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=35&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=261&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=171&cHash=024e6ea651. Retrieved 9 December 2009. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Team Canada not to compete in the final – Office in Whistler opened.". FIL. 13 February 2008. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1201820400&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2505599&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=2863&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=157&cHash=33f1a21341. Retrieved 13 February 2008. 
  20. ↑ "Homologation at Whistler Sliding Center.". FIL. 27 February 2008. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1201820400&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2505599&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=2991&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=157&cHash=cf92f7aa05. Retrieved 4 March 2008. 
  21. ↑ "Homologation Process Completed at 2010 Olympic Track.". FIBT. 11 March 2008. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=25&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=365&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=171&cHash=7c90383a48. Retrieved 11 March 2008.. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 "The Whistler Sliding Centre homologation process complete.". VANOC. 9 March 2008. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/the-whistler-sliding-centre-homologation-process-complete_37220eY.html. Retrieved 11 March 2008. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.6 "Official Report to the International Olympic Committee on the accident of Georgia athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili at Whistler Sliding Center on February 12, 2010 during official luge training for the XXI. Winter Olympics Games". FIL. 12 April 2010. http://www.fil-luge.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Documents/Sonstiges/FIL_Final_Report.pdf. Retrieved 19 April 2010. 
  24. ↑ "2010 Olympic Winter Games already on the horizon.". FIL. 23 September 2008. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1220220000&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2591999&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3365&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=157&cHash=10f8b24856. Retrieved 3 October 2008. 
  25. ↑ "First crucial test for Olympic luge track in Whistler.". FIL. 4 November 2008. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1225494000&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2591999&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3471&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=157&cHash=fe44a9375d. Retrieved 21 November 2008. 
  26. ↑ "World Champion Felix Loch injured". FIL. 20 November 2008. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1225494000&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2591999&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3499&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=157&cHash=e5f25c67da. Retrieved 21 November 2008. 
  27. ↑ "VANOC Board of Directors approves revised budget in principle; Jack Poole re-elected as chairman.". VANOC. 9 December 2008. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/vanoc-board-of-directors-approves-revised-budget-in-principle--jack-poole-re-elected-as-chairman_61802cL.html. Retrieved 10 December 2008. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 "FIL President Fendt has speed limit in mind.". FIL. 12 December 2008. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1228086000&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2678399&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3697&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=157&cHash=dcfac1e364. Retrieved 13 December 2008. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 29.6 29.7 29.8 "153,98 km/h – new speed record at the "Whistler Sliding Center".". FIL. 23 February 2009. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1233442800&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2419199&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=10387&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=157&cHash=602572b57f. Retrieved 23 February 2009. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 30.4 30.5 "The Whistler Sliding Centre wraps up World Cup events. Sliding sport events charm sold-out crowds, yields track records, and produce top speeds.". VANOC. 21 February 2009. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/the-whistler-sliding-centre-wraps-up-world-cup-events.-sliding-sport-events-charm-sold-out-crowds--yield-track-records-and-produce-top-speeds-_64028zJ.html. Retrieved 24 February 2009. 
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Team Event in St. Moritz Cancelled.". FIBT. 17 January 2009. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=13&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=485&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=171&cHash=76ff6c35aa. Retrieved 18 January 2009. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 32.5 32.6 "Testing successfully complete at bobsleigh and skeleton sport event. Sold-out crowd cheers sliding athletes from around the world.". VANOC. 7 February 2009. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/testing-successfully-complete-at-bobsleigh-and-skeleton-sport-event.-sold-out-crowd-cheers-on-sliding-athletes-from-around-the-world--_63250Gx.html. Retrieved 8 February 2009. 
  33. ↑ "Lake Placid to Host 2013 World Championship.". FIBT. 31 May 2009. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=20&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=565&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=171&cHash=6275441d92. Retrieved 20 June 2010. 
  34. ↑ "Exactly four months before the opening ceremony on February 12, 2010.". FIL. 12 October 2009. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1254348000&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2681999&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=10777&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=157&cHash=1fa8ff5b97. Retrieved 15 October 2009. 
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "Hüfner: „Scrutinize ideal racing line and sled configuration”". FIL. 9 November 2009. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=10825&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=45&cHash=4707727a33. Retrieved 12 November 2009. 
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 Kerby, Trey (18 February 2010). ""'Nearly every athlete is scared to death' of the Olympic luge track."". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/-Nearly-every-athlete-is-scared-to-death-of-the?urn=oly,220628. Retrieved 19 February 2010. 
  37. ↑ "National Championships in Whistler on December 17, 2009.". FIL. 9 December 2009. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=11005&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=307&cHash=81bc891ecb. Retrieved 9 December 2009. 
  38. ↑ "Official website". The Whistler Sliding Centre. http://whistlerslidingcentre.com/. Retrieved 3 July 2008. 
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 39.4 39.5 39.6 "The Whistler Sliding Centre and Whistler Olympic Park open to public tours.". VANOC. 5 June 2008. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/the-whistler-sliding-centre-and-whistler-olympic-park-to-open-for-public-tours_36966sO.html. Retrieved 6 June 2008. 
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 "VANOC Board of Directors receives business plan update, endorses updated plans to engage public in the 2010 Winter Games.". VANOC. 21 May 2008. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/vanoc-board-of-directors-receives-business-plan-update--endorses-updated-plans-to-engage-public-in-the-2010-winter-games_57908xD.html. Retrieved 22 May 2008. 
  41. ↑ "56th FIL Congress in Calgary.". FIL. 29 April 2008. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1207000800&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2591999&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3087&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=157&cHash=d8838b66e6. Retrieved 1 May 2008. 
  42. ↑ "56th FIL Congress in Calgary.". FIL. 28 June 2008. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1212271200&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2591999&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3211&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=157&cHash=211cbc0141. Retrieved 29 June 2008. 
  43. ↑ "Recommendations for 2013 World Championships in Whistler.". FIL. 8 April 2009. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1238536800&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2591999&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=10479&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=157&cHash=bfb1f98fe1. Retrieved 11 April 2009. 
  44. ↑ "FIL Congress in Liberec.". FIL. 20 June 2009. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1243807200&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2591999&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=10655&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=157&cHash=853d27fd14. Retrieved 25 June 2009. 
  45. ↑ "Whistler Legacy Society gets new identity.". Resort Municipality of Whistler. 9 February 2009. http://www.whistler.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=691&Itemid=1. Retrieved 5 April 2010. 
  46. ↑ "About Us.". Whistler 2010 Sports Legacies. http://www.whistler2010sportlegacies.com/about/tabid/169/language/en-CA/default.aspx. Retrieved 5 April 2010. 
  47. ↑ "Luge Crash at the Olympics". New York Times (New York, NY: Arthur O. Sulzberger, Jr.). 12 February 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/02/12/sports/olympics/LUGEDEATH.html. Retrieved 16 February 2010. 
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 Branch, John; Jonathan Abrams (12 February 2010). "Luge Athlete's Death Casts Pall Over Games". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/sports/olympics/13luge.html?hp=&pagewanted=print. Retrieved 20 June 2010. 
  49. ↑ Bryant, Howard; Bonnie D. Ford (13 February 2010). "Kumaritashvili killed in luge training". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/olympics/winter/2010/news/story?id=4909034. Retrieved 20 June 2010. 
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 Bell, Terry (12 February 2010). "Georgia's minister of sport pleads for a full investigation after luger's death". Canwest News Service. http://www.globaltvcalgary.com/story.html?id=2556532. Retrieved 12 February 2010. 
  51. ↑ Wallechinsky, David; Loucky, Jaime (2009), "Luge (Toboggan): Men", The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition, London: Aurum Press Limited, p. 158 
  52. ↑ "Luge: Luge start moved as officials defend Whistler Sliding track.". VANOC. 13 February 2010. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/afp-news/luge--luge-start-moved-as-officials-defend-whistler-sliding-track_274696sA.html. Retrieved 13 February 2010. 
  53. ↑ "Joined Statement of IOC, FIL, and VANOC.". FIL. 12 February 2010. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.335.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=11561&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=331&cHash=c1df2390c8. Retrieved 13 February 2010. 
  54. ↑ "Joint VANOC-FIL Statement on Men's Luge Competition.". FIL. 13 February 2010. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.335.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=11565&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=331&cHash=5acc6adb41. Retrieved 13 February 2010. 
  55. ↑ "Joint VANOC – FIL Statement on Men’s Luge Competition". VANOC. 12 February 2010. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/fil-statement-on-mens-luge-competition_274462nE.html. Retrieved 12 February 2010. 
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 56.2 Herman, Martyn (14 February 2010). "Women sliders now have kids race – German.". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61D2EQ20100214?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563. Retrieved 14 February 2010. .
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 57.2 57.3 Reich, Sharon (15 February 2010). "FIL considered cancelling competition". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61E11120100215?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563. Retrieved 16 February 2010. 
  58. ↑ Herman, Martyn (16 February 2010). "Huefner's power nap leads to a golden dream.". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61G03I20100217?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563. Retrieved 17 February 2010. 
  59. ↑ "A statement from Josef Fendt, President of the International Luge Federation.". FIL. 18 February 2010. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.335.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=11593&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=331&cHash=3ba51a96fe. Retrieved 19 February 2010. 
  60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 Metreveli, Irakli (20 February 2010). "Track controversey hangs over Georgian luger's funeral.". Oregon Herald (Portland, Oregon). http://www.oregonherald.com/news/story/y/89218_track-controversy-hangs-over-georgian-lugers.htm. Retrieved 20 June 2010. 
  61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 61.2 de Sorin, Anghel (12 February 2010). "Violeta Strămăturaru – out!". Jurnalul.ro. http://www.jurnalul.ro/stire-jurnalul/violeta-stramaturaru-out-535721.html. Retrieved 20 June 2010. (Romanian)
  62. ↑ "World-class in-venue announcers, DJs and field talent to deliver the action, inspire spectators as best winter athletes compete at 2010 Winter Games.". VANOC. 9 December 2009. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/world-class-in-venue-announcers--djs-and-field-talent-to-deliver-the-action--inspire-spectators-as-best-winter-athletes-compete-at-2010-winter-games_190954du.html. Retrieved 9 December 2009. 
  63. ↑ Herman, Martyn (18 February 2010). "Clinical Lingers time it right once again.". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61H14B20100218?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563. Retrieved 20 June 2010. 
  64. ↑ 64.0 64.1 "Sports Review of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.". FIL. 19 February 2010. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.335.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=11597&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=331&cHash=ba0d0db2e6. Retrieved 20 February 2010. 
  65. ↑ "2010 Winter Olympics Luge men's singles official results.". FIL. 14 February 2010. http://www.fil-luge.org/filext/result_detail_select.asp?lan=en&currSeason=2009%2F2010&art=&cup_type=&event_id_fk=484. Retrieved 1 April 2010. 
  66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 66.2 66.3 Herman, Martyn (15 February 2010). "Full fury of Whistler unleashed again". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61F08520100216?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563. Retrieved 20 June 2010. 
  67. ↑ "Canadian Skeleton Team Tops Day Two Training.". FIBT. 17 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1296&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=2&cHash=54fa8f2a96. Retrieved 17 February 2010. 
  68. ↑ "Hollingsworth, Montgomery Solidify Favorite Status in Skeleton.". FIBT. 18 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1301&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=2&cHash=0c828b8ab8. Retrieved 18 February 2010. 
  69. ↑ Lakshman, Mihira (19 February 2010). "Canada's Douglas disqualified in men's skeleton.". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/skeleton/story/2010/02/19/sp-douglas-disqualified-skeleton.html?ref=rss. Retrieved 20 February 2010. 
  70. ↑ dpa (19 February 2010). "Japanese slider diqualified. Britain's Williams leads.". Earth Times. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/310110,japanese-slider-disqualified-britains-williams-leads.html. Retrieved 2 April 2010. 
  71. ↑ 71.0 71.1 71.2 "2010 Winter Olympics Skeleton women's official results.". FIBT. 19 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/fileadmin/results/Vancouver%20Olympic%20Games/Feb%2019%20Womens%20Skel%20Final%20Results%20.pdf. Retrieved 1 April 2010. 
  72. ↑ "Lange Among Leaders in 2-Man Bob Training.". FIBT. 18 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1316&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=2&cHash=9071368f93. Retrieved 18 February 2010. 
  73. ↑ "Rush, Lange, Florshuetz Top 2-Man Training.". FIBT. 19 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1321&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=2&cHash=e0b5ac003d. Retrieved 19 February 2010. 
  74. ↑ 74.0 74.1 74.2 74.3 74.4 74.5 74.6 74.7 74.8 Withers, Tom (20 February 2010). "US bobsledder: Whistler track 'stupid fast'.". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=txbobwomensbobsledrohb. Retrieved 25 July 2010. .
  75. ↑ "Lange Seeks to defend Two-Man Olympic Title.". FIBT. 20 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1391&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=2&cHash=7f3ce78390. Retrieved 20 February 2010. 
  76. ↑ Herman, Martyn (19 February 2010). "Injuries leave Swiss in disarray.". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61I51E20100219?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563. Retrieved 20 June 2010. 
  77. ↑ "Supplementary Bobsleigh Training Offered in Whistler.". FIBT. 19 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1326&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=2&cHash=50036f3ec3. Retrieved 19 February 2010. 
  78. ↑ 78.0 78.1 78.2 78.3 78.4 78.5 78.6 78.7 78.8 78.9 Leicester, John (21 February 2010). "Speed of Olympics bobsled track is fast becoming a debate among competitors.". Cleveland.com. http://www.cleveland.com/olympics/index.ssf/2010/02/speed_of_olympics_bobsled_trac.html. Retrieved 25 July 2010. 
  79. ↑ 79.0 79.1 "Bobsleigh Schedule for Sunday Changed to 16:00.". FIBT. 21 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1401&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=2&cHash=034b80705b. Retrieved 21 February 2010. 
  80. ↑ 80.0 80.1 80.2 "Lange Takes Lead in Two-Man Bobsleigh.". FIBT. 21 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1406&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=2&cHash=dcf2c00efc. Retrieved 21 February 2010. 
  81. ↑ Withers, Tom (22 February 2010). "German driver Lange makes history with 4th gold.". Comcast.net. http://www.comcast.net/olympics/story.asp?i=20100222045017431427308&ref=rec&tm=&src=DOLY_BOB. Retrieved 9 August 2010. 
  82. ↑ 82.0 82.1 82.2 "2010 Bobsleigh two-man official results.". FIBT. 21 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/fileadmin/results/Vancouver%20Olympic%20Games/Feb%2021%202Man%20results.pdf. Retrieved 1 April 2010. 
  83. ↑ 83.0 83.1 83.2 83.3 83.4 Herman, Martyn (22 February 2010). "Whistler track tweaked after further spills.". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61M0GT20100223?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563. Retrieved 20 June 2010. 
  84. ↑ Herman, Martyn (23 February 2010). "Lange quickest in training as track mellows.". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE61M2Q720100223?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563. Retrieved 20 June 2010. 
  85. ↑ Herman, Martyn (23 February 2010). "Spooked Dutch pilot withdraws from bobsleigh". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61N5YF20100224?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563. Retrieved 20 June 2010. 
  86. ↑ Herman, Martyn (23 February 2010). "Olympics-Bobsleigh-Latvian wildman flies again after hiccup hell.". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE61M2RQ20100224?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563. Retrieved 20 June 2010. 
  87. ↑ Associated Press (25 February 2010). "Latvia out of bobsled field.". Comcast.net. http://www.comcast.net/olympics/story.asp?i=20100225204956886211608&ref=rec&tm=&src=DOLY_BOB. Retrieved 9 August 2010. 
  88. ↑ 88.0 88.1 88.2 88.3 "Humphries and Moyse Take Women's Bob Gold.". FIBT. 25 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1461&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=2&cHash=709e6cd1e0. Retrieved 25 February 2010. 
  89. ↑ 89.0 89.1 Hendricks, Maggie (24 February 2010). "German bobsledding favorites in frightening crash.". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/German-bobsledding-favorites-in-frightening-cras;_ylt=AhrtghYKH_ekx_Apkbf88299sbV_?urn=oly,223988. Retrieved 25 February 2010. 
  90. ↑ 90.0 90.1 90.2 "2010 Winter Olympics Bobsleigh two-woman official results.". FIBT. 24 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/fileadmin/results/Vancouver%20Olympic%20Games/Feb%2024%20Womens%20Bob%20%20Final%20Results.pdf. Retrieved 1 April 2010. 
  91. ↑ 91.0 91.1 91.2 "Lange Among Top 4-Man Pilots in Training.". FIBT. 24 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1451&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=2&cHash=cf613e7c54. Retrieved 25 February 2010. 
  92. ↑ 92.0 92.1 92.2 92.3 "Holcomb Takes First Day 4-Man Lead.". FIBT. 27 February 2010. http://www.fibt.com/index.php?id=88&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1481&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=2&cHash=f3fe8a62e3. Retrieved 27 February 2010. 
  93. ↑ 93.0 93.1 93.2 93.3 93.4 93.5 93.6 "IOC to act on luge death tragedy.". Associated Press. Olympics-NOW.com. 21 February 2010. http://www.olympics-now.com/2010/02/21/ioc-to-act-on-luge-death-tragedy/. Retrieved 9 August 2010. 
  94. ↑ 94.0 94.1 "FIL Final Report to be published after the Commissions meetings.". FIL. 25 March 2010. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=11637&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=307&cHash=7778c222d7. Retrieved 27 March 2010. 
  95. ↑ "Publication on Monday: FIL submit reports to IOC.". FIL. 13 April 2010. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=11661&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=45&cHash=e51ef3e6b3. Retrieved 14 April 2010. 
  96. ↑ "FIL publishes Accident Report.". FIL. 19 April 2010. http://www.fil-luge.org/News-Detail.155.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=11671&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=45&cHash=32aec05ba3. Retrieved 19 April 2010. 
  97. ↑ 97.0 97.1 97.2 97.3 "The Whistler Sliding Center official story.". The Whistler Sliding Centre. http://www.whistlerslidingcentre.com/Portals/1/THE_WSC_STORY.pdf. Retrieved 10 December 2009. 
  98. ↑ "Street map leading to the Whistler Sliding Centre, including the track map itself.". VANOC. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-spectator-guide/venues/the-whistler-sliding-centre/maps/big-wsc-street-map_148414hO.html. Retrieved 17 December 2009. 
  99. ↑ "Sustainability and legacy information on the site selection area for the Whistler Sliding Centre.". VANOC. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-spectator-guide/venues/the-whistler-sliding-centre/sustainability---legacy/. Retrieved 10 December 2009. 
  100. ↑ "2008 BC Awards for Excellence in Concrete Construction (the CONNIES), including the Whistler Sliding Centre.". British Columbia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association (BCRMCA). http://www.bcrmca.bc.ca/media/2008%20winners.pdf. Retrieved 10 December 2009. 
  101. ↑ "The Whistler Sliding Centre Refrigeration Building.". Canada Green Building Council. http://www.cagbc.org/leed/leed_projects/registered_projects/building_registrations10381.php?project_city=Whistler&project_province=BC. Retrieved 28 March 2010. 
  102. ↑ 102.0 102.1 Ogilive, Clare (18 February 2009). "Speedy sliding track gets a few nicknames". The Province (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Canwest Publishing). http://www.theprovince.com/health/family-child/Speedy+sliding+track+getting+nicknames/1302859/story.html. Retrieved 20 June 2010. 
  103. ↑ 103.0 103.1 103.2 103.3 103.4 103.5 "Whistler Sliding Centre Facts". USA Today (McLean, Virginia: Gannett Company). 3 February 2010. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/vancouver/sliding/whistler-sliding-graphic.htm. Retrieved 7 February 2010. 
  104. ↑ Hatler, David F.; Alison M. M. Beal (2003). "Furbearer mangament guidelines: Lynx (Lynx canadenis).". Habitat Conservation Trust Fund. http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/pubdocs/bcdocs/378286/lynx.pdf. Retrieved 7 February 2010. 
  105. ↑ "Bobsleigh two-man coverage". Presenters: Bob Papa and John Morgan. 2010 Winter Olympics. NBC. WXIA-TV, Atlanta, Georgia. 20 February 2010.

External links

Venues of the 2010 Winter Olympics
Competition facilities in Vancouver and vicinity
Canada Hockey Place · Cypress Mountain Ski Area · Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre · Pacific Coliseum · Richmond Olympic Oval · Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Centre
Venues outside Vancouver
The Whistler Sliding Centre · Whistler Creekside · Whistler Olympic Park
Non-competition venues
BC Place Stadium · Main Media Centre · Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Village · Whistler Media Centre · Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Village · Whistler Olympic Medals Plaza
List of bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton tracks
Current artificial tracks
Altenberg · Calgary · Cesana · Cortina d'Ampezzo · Igls · Königssee · Lake Placid · La Plagne · Lillehammer · Nagano · Oberhof · Paramonovo · Park City · Rzhanaya Polyana · Sigulda · St. Moritz · Whistler · Winterberg
Former artificial tracks
Alpe d'Huez · Chamonix · Garmisch-Partenkirchen · Hammarstrand · Imst · Oslo · Teineyama bobsleigh · Teineyama luge · Trebević · Villard-de-Lans
Natural luge tracks
List of natural luge tracks