Luger arrives home

Hometown of 1,500 mourns fallen son

“Why have I survived you?” The chilling cry of a mother who must soon bury her young son. On Wednesday, the body of Nodar Kumaritashvili—the 21-year-old Georgian luger who died during a practice run in Vancouver—arrived in his hometown of Bakuriani. His coffin was draped in a Georgian flag. One of the mourners who came to greet the coffin was Levan Gureshidze, another Bakuriani luger who dropped out of the Olympics after his friend’s accident. “How could I take part in competition after that?” he said to reporters. Olympic officials have blamed the accident on Kumaritashvili himself—amidst growing concern that Vancouver’s $100-million-plus venue is too fast and too technically demanding.

CBC