Following the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili in a practice run at the '10 Vancouver Games, the track in Sochi set to be used for the three sliding sports -- bobsled, luge and skeleton -- is "roller-coaster like" and runs "about 10mph slower than the one used" four years ago, according to John Branch of the N.Y. TIMES. Speeds at Vancouver in four-man bobsled, the "fastest of the sliding disciplines, reached the mid-90s, making it the fastest track in the world." However, last year’s World Cup event in Sochi saw competitors reach about 84 MPH, "in line with most tracks around the world." Because of Kumaritashvili’s death, there will be a "global watch over the safety of this track." Int'l Luge Federation President Josef Fendt said, "It is a fast track. It is a challenge, and it is a very interesting track. But it is safe." German luge coach Georg Hackl, a three-time Gold Medalist, added, "It’s difficult to have a fast time. But it’s not dangerous. That’s the important thing" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/5).
SAFETY FIRST: U.S. snowboarder Shaun White this morning announced he is dropping out of the slopestyle event after injuring his wrist in a training run yesterday (Mult., 2/5). White's injury is the latest sustained at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, and in L.A., Lisa Dillman notes snowboarders "were downplaying the notion" that the slopestyle course was "too dangerous." Finland's Marika Enne was carried off on a stretcher yesterday and Norway's Torstein Horgmo broke his collerbone Monday. The seriousness of the injuries has put the new Olympic event "in the spotlight." However, U.S. snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg said, "There's no way this is too dangerous. ... It could have happened to any one of us. [Horgmo is] doing a trick I've seen him do 100 times on rails that are gnarlier than the one he did it on" (LATIMES.com, 4/4). The N.Y. TIMES notes the slopestyle course "continued to vex snowboarders, some of whom told course officials on Monday that they considered it too dangerous." Changes "were made, but a large jump near the finish produced another injury" yesterday, with Enne "crashing hard" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/5).
BEAUTY IN THE BUILDINGS: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Lukas Alpert noted much of visitors' attention "will be drawn to the futuristic buildings of the coastal cluster, built on the grounds of what had been a state-run farm, with six main buildings in a compact circle around the medal podium." Among them will be the Fisht Olympic Stadium, which is "named after a nearby mountain and designed to resemble a giant snowflake." That is where the Opening and Closing ceremonies will be held. Hockey games will be held in the nearby Bolshoy Ice Dome, which was "built to look like a frozen water droplet." Officials have "boasted about the proximity of the main venues to one another, saying it will take no more than 10 minutes on foot to reach any of the buildings from anywhere on the main site." Meanwhile, a new railway service "can carry people from the coastal cluster to the mountain venues in about 30 minutes." In contrast, some venues in Vancouver "were nearly two hours apart" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/5). In Toronto, Rosie DiManno writes the "hands-down" marquee venue is the Ice Dome, where "colorful images can be projected onto the outer surface, similar to the lighting wizardry of the 'Ice Cube' swimming venue in Beijing" (TORONTO STAR, 2/5).
MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME: U.S. speedskater Chris Creveling said athletes so far have "just been impressed with the facilities" in the Olympic Village, as "everything has been up to our standards." Teammate Jordan Malone added, "All the United States is in one particular house. It's the same as it was in Vancouver. There's Wi-Fi everywhere so you can get your geek on" (NPR.org, 2/4). Meanwhile, U.S. skier Steven Nyman said of the Village at Rosa Khutor, "The resort is insane. What they've done here and built up is massive." Italian skier Christof Innerhofer added, "Everyone was afraid of Sochi but it's really great. Even the security controls are nothing extra compared to Vancouver. The rooms are nice and large, the food is good" (AP, 2/5).
GO WITH THE FLOW: The GLOBE & MAIL's Sean Gordon notes Team Canada hockey players will "be sharing toilets and sleeping two and three to a room in beds more appropriately sized for junior-aged cross-country skiers than big, bruising NHLers." Canada D P.K. Subban when shown a picture of his soon-to-be living quarters said with a smile, "That's, uh, interesting" (GLOBE & MAIL, 2/5). However, Canada C Sidney Crosby when asked about the cramped quarters gave a shrug and said, "Pretty similar to Vancouver. Not quite that tight, but we had three guys in a room" (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 2/5).
