Luge considered low-risk despite Georgian Nodar Kumaritashvili’s death
Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reveals that at least one in 10 athletes sustained an injury and a further one in 14 fell ill during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In all, 82 doctors, looking after 2567 athletes, took part in the study. They reported a total of 287 injuries and 185 illnesses, equivalent to 111.8 injuries (11 per cent) and 72.1 illnesses (7 per cent) per 1000 registered athletes during the Games, but the report says these are likely an underestimate. The highest risk sports were bobsleigh, ice hockey, short track, alpine freestyle and snowboard cross, where 15 per cent to 35 per cent of athletes either sustained an injury or fell ill. The lowest risk sports were the Nordic skiing events, which include the biathlon, cross country skiing, ski jumping and Nordic combined, as well as luge, curling, speed skating and free style moguls. Though Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died during a trial run, fewer than one in 20 athletes in these low risk sports were injured or fell ill.