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Whistler Sliding Centre

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Miller17CU94 (talk | contribs) at 19:52, 25 April 2010 (→‎Nodar Kumritashvili: Ref adj). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Whistler Sliding Centre
The Beast
Venue located on a mountainside.
The Whistler Sliding Centre in June 2008. The refrigeration plant is shown behind turn 16.
Map
Full nameCentre des sports de glisse de Whistler in Template:Fr icon
LocationWhistler, British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates50°6′27″N 122°56′42″W / 50.10750°N 122.94500°W / 50.10750; -122.94500
OwnerVANOC (2005 to 2010), Whistler 2010 Sports Legacies (since the end of the 2010 Winter Olympics)
OperatorVANOC (2005 to 2010), Whistler 2010 Sports Legacies (since the end of the 2010 Winter Olympics)
Capacity12,000
Field size(All from [1])Bobsleigh/ Skeleton: 1,450 m (4,760 ft)
Luge – men's singles: 1,374 m (4,508 ft)
Luge – women's singles/ men's doubles: 1,198 m (3,930 ft)
Junior: 953 m (3,127 ft)
SurfaceReinforced concrete with ammonia refrigeration piped that is turned on to create 2 to 5 cm (0.79 to 1.97 in) of ice
ScoreboardYes
Construction
Broke ground1 June 2005
Built1 June 2005 to November 2007
Opened19 December 2007
ArchitectStantec Architecture Limited[1]
Project managerHeatherbrae Inc.[1]
Services engineerWestern Pacific Enterprises GP/ Cimco Refrigeration (Toromont Industries Limited)[1]
General contractorEmil Anderson Construction (EAC) Inc.[1]
Main contractorsEAC Inc

The Whistler Sliding Centre (Centre des sports de glisse de Whistler in Template:Fr icon) is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in the Fitzsimmons Creek valley in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada located 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 on the track in late 2004 with construction taking place from June 2005 to December 2007. Bobsleders 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 at the 2010 Winter Olympics 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 with the report being released 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 award in 2008 while the refrigeration plant earned Canada's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) "gold" certification two years later.

History

Awarding and construction (2004–07)

Sign to a sports venue in Canada.
Welcome board to the Whistler Sliding Centre in June 2008.

At the 115th IOC meeting held in Prague, Czech Republic, Vancouver was chosen for the 2010 Winter Olympics over Pyongchang, South Korea and Salzburg, Austria.[2] On 15 November 2004, it was announced that Stantec Architecture Limited, who 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.[3][4] 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.[4]

Site construction of the facility began on 1 June 2005 following environmental approval from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.[5][6] Construction site safety and security was put in place at that time.[6] During its construction peak in the summer of 2006, there were over 500 workers involved both at the Sliding Centre and at the Whistler Nordic Venue (now Whistler Olympic Park).[7] A core group of 60 workers was involved with track construction from June 2005 to December 2007.[8] Basic track construction was completed in November 2007 though fit-out and testing continued into 2008.[9]

First testing and homologation (2007–08)

A man celebrating victory in a competition.
2010 Winter Olympic men's skeleton champion Montgomery of Canada at the medal ceremony on 19 February 2010.

The first run took place on 19 December 2007 with Canadian bobsledder Pierre Lueders and his brakeman Justin Kripps starting at the Junior Start house, located 520 m (1,710 ft) down the 1,450 m (4,760 ft) track.[10][11] A total of six runs were made under the auspices of the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation (FIBT).[10] The Canadian Luge Association opened a branch at the track in February 2008.[12] Luge tests occurred in late February 2008.[12] Among the luge participants were Tatjana Hüfner, David Möller (both Germany), Tony Benshoof, Erin Hamlin, Christian Niccum, Dan Joye (all from 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).[13] 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 from 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 from Canada).[14] Over 200 runs were taken from six different starting positions on the track.[15] Praise was given both by the FIBT and the International Luge Federation (FIL) over the successful homologation of the track.[15] The Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) reviewed the recommendations made from both the FIBT and the FIL in order to fine tune the track.[15] Canadian teams continued testing and training at the track until 20 March 2008.[15] Lueders of Canada commented that the track "... [is] definitely the fastest ... in the world and that's what makes it so difficult" while Kelly of Canada concurred with "... any loss of concentration ... [can get you] ... in trouble because it is technical as well."[16] A total of 2155 runs (335 bobsleigh, 1077 luge, and 743 skeleton) took place with a total of 15 crashes occurring at the track.[17] Final track inspection by the FIL Executive Board took place 25–27 September 2008 prior to International Training Week later that year.[18]

2008–09 Luge World Cup, including training

International Training Week for luge took place 7–15 November 2008 at the track to get sliders familiarized with the track.[19][17] 2482 runs took place during the training though several injuries occurred, most notably Germany's Loch, the 2008 men's singles world champion, injuring his shoulder.[20] In a 9 December 2008 press release, the Centre was continuing homologation by adding protections on the track against crashes and weather.[21] FIL President Josef Fendt of Germany stated that the track's speed was too fast with the top speed reaching 149 km/h (93 mph) during the training.[22] Of the 2482 runs executed during International Training week for luge, there were 73 crashes (for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton), a crash rate of three percent which was normal during the testing of new tracks.[22][17] Three lugers, including Loch, were sent to the hospital, but later released.[22] Italy's Zöggeler stated that the "... track can be tackled." and "... doesn't see big problems for the athletes" while Fendt called for the top track speed for future tracks to be slowed to 135 or 136 km/h (84 or 85 mph) where possible.[22] For the 2008-09 World Cup season, 15,115 runs were made for bobsleigh (2153), luge (9672), and skeleton (3290).[17] After the World Cup event on 20–21 February 2009, Austria's Andreas Linger described the track as "... fast, incredibly fast."[23] Germany's Loch stated that the men's singles luge speeds reach 100 km/h (62 mph) by the time you reach the women's singles and men's doubles start house, located before turn three.[23] 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.[24] FIL President Fendt stated that "... [my] technical delegate told me this week that the ... [2010 Winter Olympics] ... could start tomorrow and the track would be ready. I appreciate the whole Whistler Sliding Centre."[24] 135 athletes participated in the 2008–09 World Cup season finale (67 men, 42 women, and 26 doubles) though 144 athletes from 23 countries were registered.[24][17] During the Luge World Cup event that weekend, 186 runs took place with 16 crashes.[17]

2008–09 Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup and training

Bobsleigh and skeleton training week took place 25–31 January 2009 to prepare for their respective World Cup events on 5–7 February 2009.[25] 250 competitors from 24 countries took part in the World Cup event.[26] Competition and weather affected testing and World Cup runs for the two week time period.[26] A team of 118 personnel and 276 volunteers worked consecutive weeks at the Training Week and World Cup events.[26] 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.[26] 3000 spectators attended the final two days of competition.[26] Medical services, led by VANOC and FIBT medical director Dr. David McDonagh, tested itself with first responder care and mock scenarios that included athlete extraction from the sled if the accident was severe enough.[26] These services were tested again during the Luge World Cup competition on 20–21 February 2009.[26] A total of 15,000 spectators attended all five days for the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton World Cup events, all sold out.[24] FIBT President Robert H. Storey stated that the Centre "... is fast, technical, demanding, and interesting."[24] 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).[24]

2009–10 World Cups, including training

Between 26 October and 7 November 2009, a paid training session took place at the Centre for bobsleigh teams in preparation for the 2010 Games.[27] A second International Training Week for luge took place at the Centre on 9–15 November 2009 in preparation for the 2010 Games with 156 athletes from 27 nations taking place.[28][29] Venzeula's Werner Hoeger was knocked unconscious during a practice run on 13 November 2009 and was denied any further make-up runs.[30] During training that week, Hoeger expressed concern about the safety of the track.[30] 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.[30] This was especially after speeds were 10 mph (16 km/h) faster than expected.[30] 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.[30] 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.[31] 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 prior to 2010 Games.[29] 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.[17]

Public opening and post-Olympic usage

The Centre's official website opened in late June 2008.[32] Public self-guided walking tours ran 3 July through 31 August 2008.[16][33] Costs to the public was C$ 5 with children under 12 being admitted free.[33] The track officially opened in the fall of 2008.[34] World cup competition for bobsleigh and skeleton took place 2–8 February 2009 while luge took place 20–21 February 2009.[23][25] 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 their bid prior to selection on 28 June 2008.[35][36] At an FIL Commission meeting at St. Leonhard, Austria (near Salzburg) during the weekend of 4–5 April 2009, it was recommended that the Centre be host for the 2013 FIL World Luge Championships.[37] This was confirmed at the 57th FIL Congress meets in Liberec, Czech Republic on 19–20 June 2009.[38]

Post-Olympic usage will be part of the Whistler 2010 Sports Legacies which will operate the Sliding Centre, Whistler Olympic Park, and the Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Village.[39] The goal of this organization is to promote the legacy of the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics, promote healthy lifestyles, promote tourism in the British Columbia province, and offer revenue for the three facilities to maintain them.[40]

2010 Winter Olympics

Nodar Kumritashvili

Picture of a man's head.
Official IOC picture of Nodar Kumaritashvili, who was killed during practice at the Sliding Centre on 12 February 2010.
Main article: Nodar Kumaritashvili

On 12 February 2010, hours before the Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili suffered a crash during a training run coming out of Turn 16.[41] Kumaritashvili was injured when he flew off the track and collided with a steel pole.[42][43] He was going 143.3 km/h (89.0 mph) at the time of the crash.[42] Kumaritashvili died from the injuries sustained in that crash later that day.[44] His accident came after a series of incidents during that week and reignited concerns about the track's safety.[44] 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.[45][46] It was also luge's first fatality since 10 December 1975 when an Italian luger was killed.[47] A joint statement was issued by the FIL, the IOC, and VANOC over Kurmaitasvili's death with training suspended for the rest of that day.[48] 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.[49][49][45]

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.[50] Women's singles and men's doubles start was moved to the Junior start house of the track, located after turn 5.[51] 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".[51] 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 that you were still hitting 80 mph (130 km/h).[51]

During a 14 February 2010 interview with Yahoo! Sports, FIL Secretary-General Svein Romstad of the United States stated that the federation considered cancelling the luge competition in the wake of Kumaritashvili's death two days earlier.[52] Romstad stated that "[Kumaritashvili] ... made a mistake" on the crash, but also stated that "...any fatality is unnacceptable".[52] Additionally, Romstad stated that the start houses were moved to their current locations "... mostly for an emotional reason".[52] 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.[52] Canada's Alex Gough commented on the 14th in the wake of Kumaritashvili's death two days earlier 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.[53]

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.

[54]

Kumaritashvili was buried in his hometown of Bakuriani on 20 February 2010.[55] 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.[55]

Luge

Athlete in action during sports event.
American luger Julia Clukey during the second run of the women's singles event on 15 February 2010. Clukey finished 17th.
Main article: Luge at the 2010 Winter Olympics

On 11 February 2010, Romania's Violeta Strămăturaru was knocked unconscious after slamming into several walls during a training run.[56] She was strapped to a backboard and placed on a stretcher though her arms were moving.[56] 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 see if she was okay as Terry Kent of the United States, the public address announcer,[57] directed medical personnel to the scene.[56] American Megan Sweeney, sliding after Violeta, went airborne prior to the final curve and crashed though she walked away shaken up.[56] Violeta later withdrew prior to the event while Raluca finished 21st and Sweeney 22nd.[58]

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 of them to go airborne momentarily. Neither luger suffered any injury.[59]

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.[60] 12,000 spectators attended each of the five days of luge competition.[60]

Event winners were Germany's Loch in men's singles,[61] Germany's Hüfner in women's singles,[58] and Austria's Andreas and Wolfgang Linger in doubles.[62]

Skeleton

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

Skeleton held their first practice down the full length of the course on 15 February 2010.[63] It was the first time the full length of the course had been practiced on since Kumaritashvili's death three days earlier.[63] Britain's Shelley Rudman stated that "The IOC and VANOC have done all they can to make it a safe environment".[63] Canada's Mellisa Hollingsworth had the fastest women's practice runs while her teammate Montgomery had the fastest men's practice runs on the 15th.[63] Montgomery and Hollingsworth had the fastest times on the 16th with the last training runs taking place on 17th at 09:00 PST.[64] On the 17th, both Hollingsworth and Montgomery had the fastest runs again.[65]

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.[66] 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 second run to begin.[67]

Event winners were Montgomery in the men's and Britain's Amy Williams in the women's[68][69].

Bobsleigh

Sled in action during a sports event.
Sixth-place USA-1 (Steven Holcomb driving) in the first heat of the bobsleigh two-man competition on 20 February 2010.
Main article: Bobsleigh at the 2010 Winter Olympics

Bobsleigh practice began on 17 February 2010 with the two-man event. Eight crashes among 57 runs took place that day.[70] Three crashes occurred during the 18 February 2010 two-man training session.[71] Among the crashes in the two-man event were Switzerland's Beat Hefti and Daniel Schmid who both withdrew from the two man event (Schmid also withdrew from the four-man event for safety reasons.[72]).[73][74] 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.[75]

American bobsledder Rohbock expressed concerns on the 19th that the track could generate speeds that are too dangerous for racing.[72] She stated that she had never experienced speeds that high, not even at the track in St. Moritz, Switzerland.[72] Officials had told Rohbock that they were considering sanding the runners to slow down the speeds reached by all sleds during competition.[72] 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!"[72] 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.[72] Rohbock's remarks were tempered the following day by saying she felt safe as long as she did not crash.[76]

During the two-man event, runs three and four on 21 February 2010 were rescheduled to 16:00 PST for run three and 17:35 PST for run four to unseasonable warm weather.[77] 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 (For the 21st, the actual high was 46.4 °F (8.0 °C) reached at 16:00 PST.).[77][78] For the first run on 20 February 2010, a sled from Australia crashed out and did not finish.[79] A sled from Great Britain was disqualified when the sled's brakeman was ejected during the first run.[79] One of Austria's sled was disqualified for violating the total weight rule.[79] Liechtenstein's sled crashed out during the first run and finished, but did not start the second run.[79] No crashes occurred in the final two runs of the event.[80] Germany's Lange and Kevin Kuske won the two-man event.[81]

Reactions from bobsledders during the two-man event about the track varied from exciting to anxious to dangerous.[76] FIBT stated that its goal was to have all driver to have a minimum of 40 runs at the track.[76] 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.[76] Both Klingler and Rollestone crashed out during the first run of the event.[76] 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."[76] Carmen Radenovic of Romania stated that Whistler was her favorite track and loved it very much.[76] 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.[76] 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.[76] 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[76]

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.[82] 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.[82] FIBT spokesman Don Krone stated that "...some drivers have been experiencing difficulties transitioning from turn 11 to turn 12."[82] 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."[82] 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.[82]

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.[83] Australia withdrew its four-man team on 23 February 2010 after two of its crew members, Duncan Harvey and Duncan Pugh, suffered concussions to crashes 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.[84] Latvia's Janis Minins in the meantime returned to competition on the 23rd in the four-man event following emergency surgery eleven days earlier.[85] 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.[86]

Sled in action during a sports event at night.
Canada-1's gold medal team of Humphries (driving) and Moyse during the fourth run of bobsleigh two-woman event on 24 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.[87] Minichiello and Cooke decided not to start the final run.[87] In the final run, Russia 2 crashed which kept them at their finishing position of 18th.[87] Germany 2's team of Cathleen Martini and Romy Logsch were in fourth place after the third run, but were disqualified after Martini crashed in turn 13 of the final run, causing Logsch to be ejected from the sled.[87] Both Martini and Logsch walked away from the crash under their own power.[88] Prior to this incident, Martini had never crashed before in her career.[88] Canada's Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse won the event.[89]

Lange had the fastest practice times in the four-man event on the 24th with the final two practices taking place on the 25th.[90] That same day, Edwin van Calker of the Netherlands withdrew to a lack of confidence of driving the four-man sled during the event.[90] This was also despite no crashes during four-man training had taken place prior to the 24th.[90] The Dutch team supported van Calker's decision on this.[90]

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

For the four-man event's first two runs on 26 February, defending world champion Holcomb posted the fastest track times in the both runs while defending Olympic champion Lange had the fastest start times in both runs.[91] 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 on the track in the first run when one of his steering ropes broke.[91] Austria-1 and Slovakia-1 also crashed out in the first run on the track, and neither sled started the second run with Russia-1.[91] Second run track crashes involved USA-2, Great Britain-1, and Japan-1.[91] USA-2 did not start the third run. There were no crashes in the final two runs of the event.[92] America's team of Holcomb, Steve Mesler, Curtis Tomasevicz, and Justin Olsen won the event.[92]

Overall safety concerns

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

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, require a large number of training runs, slow 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.[72] FIBT President Storey wants to wait to review safety of bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton until after the 2010 Games, stating that track designers need to find a balance between challenges and dangers on the track.[72] 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 risk-proof a 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 to 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 American 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][17]

Track technical details

A map of a competition venue.
The Whistler Sliding Centre track map.

Construction

The venue was built on a site that was designated by the First Nations people who claim this area.[97] To the Squamish, the area is referred to as a "Wild Spirit Place" or Kwekwayex Kwelh7aynexw.[97] 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 actual costs were C$ 105 million (€ 68 million).[98][23] The track is made of 350 t (340 long tons; 390 short tons) of reinforced concrete that was applied using pressurized spraying to reach a maximum thickness of 6 in (15 cm).[6][16][8][34] Additionally, the track contains 12 km (7.5 mi) of steel conduit, 600 awnings, and 700 lights.[98] 350 track footings were used to set the track on its proper foundation.[7] 40% of those footings were complete by July 2006.[7] There are over 100 km (62 mi) of ammonia refrigeration piping were used to keep the track frozen.[7][16] Sloping and curves were contoured to within 1 to 3 mm (0.039 to 0.118 in) of the planned design course.[8] Ice thickness is 2 to 5 cm (0.79 to 1.97 in) maintained by hand.[16] The Sliding Centre had 36 on-track video cameras and 42 "timing eyes".[16] The track also includes a control tower and administration buildings.[7] There are two spectator overpasses (between turns one and two, and turns six and seven) and three spectator underpasses (between turns eight and nine, turns 11 and 12, and turns 15 and 16).[99] It seated 11,650 during the 2010 games.[6]

Sustainability

To promote sustainability, the site was selected directly adjacent to already disturbed area within a major ski area.[100] It was also designed to minimize vegetation and the ecological footprint in the area.[100] For energy efficiency, trees were retained to cast shade with weather protection and a shading system used to cover parts of the track and the track is painted white to maintain track ice tempeartures while minimizing energy demand on the refrigeration system.[100] Waste heat from the refrigeration plant is captured and reused to heat buildings on-site and could provide other heat uses in the future.[100] Any wood waste created from site clearing activities during venue construction were composted for reuse.[100] Other on-site buildings also followed similar green building design principles.[100]

Awards

In 2008, the Sliding Centre received two British Columbia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association (BCRMCA) Awards for Excellence in Concrete Construction (CONNIE Award).[101][102] The first CONNIE was for Public Works while the second one was for the Century Award.[101][102] The Century Award that was given to VANOC and the project team was for "The technically staggering Whistler Sliding Centre: an engineering achievement that, according to the judges, only comes along every one hundred years."[101]

Less than two years earlier, 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.[100] The refrigeration plant received "gold" certification level on 2 February 2010.[103]

Statistics

Physical statistics
Sport Length Turns Vertical drop (start to finish) Average grade (%)
Bobsleigh and skeleton[1] 1,450 m (4,760 ft) 16 152 m (499 ft) 10.5
Luge – men's singles[1] 1,374 m (4,508 ft) 16 Not listed Not listed
Luge – women's singles and doubles[1] 1,193 m (3,914 ft) 14 Not listed Not listed
Junior (Applies to all three sliding sports)[1] 953 m (3,127 ft) 11 Not listed Not listed
Turns
Turn Number Name Reason named
3. Wedge[104] Where the doubles and women's single luge sleds coming from the start house "wedge" themselves onto the track.
7. Lueders Loop[23] After Canadian bobsledder Pierre Lueders, who crashed out at the curve during track homologization in March 2008.
9., 10. Lynx[23][104] After the large population of lynx located in the British Columbia province.[105] Also to the turns being shaped like the top head of the lynx.
11. Shiver[23][104] After the turn sending shivers down an athlete's spine prior to entry into the next four corners of the track.
12., 13., 14., 15. Gold Rush Trail[23] 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.[104] The next day, Holcomb posted the name on the wall of that turn, which the track manager approved.[104] Holcomb's crew was also the first to go down the track that next day, successfully completing the run.[104] The name has stuck, being used in broadcast coverage of the Vancouver Olympics.

16. Thunderbird[104] 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.[97] Final curve.

Turn names for 1, 2, 4–6, and 8 are not given.[23][104] 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.[106]

Track g-forces were expected to reach up to 5.02 for men's singles luge.[16] Maximum speed was reached at 147.9 km/h (91.9 mph) in four-man bobsleigh during the homologation process.[16]

Note: 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 were not entered into this list until the issue with the Whistler Legacy Society and the International Luge Federation can be resolved in the future.

Track records
Sport Record Nation – athlete(s) Date Time (seconds)
Bobsleigh two-man[81] Start  Switzerland – Beat Hefti & Thomas Lamparter 6 February 2009 4.70
Bobsleigh two-man[81] Track  Germany – Thomas Florschütz & Richard Adjei
 Germany – André Lange & Kevin Kuske 		20 February 2010
21 February 2010 		51.57
Bobsleigh four-man[92] Start  Germany – André Lange, Kevin Kuske, Alexander Rödiger, & Martin Putze 26 February 2010 4.70
Bobsleigh four-man[92] Track  United States – Steve Holcomb, Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler, & Curtis Tomasevicz 26 February 2010 50.86
Bobsleigh two-woman[89] Start  Canada – Kaillie Humphries & Heather Moyse 23 February 2010
24 February 2010 		5.11
Bobsleigh two-woman[89] Track  Canada – Kaillie Humphries & Heather Moyse 24 February 2010 52.85
Men's skeleton[68] Start Alexander Tretiakov –  Russia 18 February 2010 4.48
Men's skeleton[68] Track Jon Montgomery –  Canada 19 February 2010 52.20
Women's skeleton[69] Start Anja Huber –  Germany 18 February 2010 4.90
Women's skeleton[69] Track Amy Williams –  United Kingdom 19 February 2010 53.68
Luge – men's singles[107] Start Andi Langenhan –  Germany 21 February 2009 3.541
Luge – men's singles[107] Track Felix Loch –  Germany 21 February 2009 46.808
Luge – women's singles[108] Start Natalie Geisenberger –  Germany 20 February 2009 7.183
Luge – women's singles[108] Track Natalie Geisenberger –  Germany 20 February 2009 48.992
Luge – men's doubles[109] Start  Germany – Tobias Wendl & Tobias Arlt 20 February 2009 7.054
Luge – men's doubles[109] Track  Germany – Patric Leitner & Alexander Resch 20 February 2009 48.608

During the 2008-09 Luge World Cup event at the Centre, Loch also provided the fastest speed ever recorded in luge with a top speed of 153.98 km/h (95.68 mph) on 21 February 2009.[110] Top speeds for other World Cup events were 153.03 km/h (95.09 mph) for bobsleigh (Latvia's Minins), 140.82 km/h (87.50 mph) for skeleton (Canada's Montgomery), 144.05 km/h (89.51 mph) for men's doubles luge (Germany's André Florschütz & Torsten Wustlich), and 144.40 km/h (89.73 mph) for women's singles luge (Germany's Anke Wischnewski).[24]

At the 2010 Winter Olympics, the top speeds was 147.5 km/h (91.7 mph) for men's singles luge (Germany's Loch),[61] 135.8 km/h (84.4 mph) for women's singles luge (Germany's Hüfner)[58], 135.3 km/h (84.1 mph) for men's doubles luge (tie between Austria's Linger and Linger, and Germany's Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch)[62], 146.4 km/h (91.0 mph) for skeleton (Russia's Tretyakov)[68], and 153.4 km/h (95.3 mph) for bobsleigh (Canada's Rush)[92].

Championships hosted

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