Posted Thursday March 11, 2010 4 months, 3 weeks ago
People observe a moment of silence for Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, who crashed and died, before the first run of the men's singles luge event at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia February 13, 2010. REUTERS/Jim Young
BERLIN (Reuters) - The International Luge Federation (FIL) has donated 10,000 euros to the family of the Georgian luger who died at the Vancouver Olympics to help rebuild their house which was destroyed by fire.
Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed on February 12. when he was catapulted off the track and crashed into steel pillars during a training run at the Olympic sliding center hours before the opening of the Games.
An FIL report put the blame on the 21-year-old Kumaritashvili and the Olympic competitions went ahead, though the start was lowered and a wall was built to cover the pillars.
"According to information from the president of the Luge Federation of Georgia, the family is in urgent need of financial support," the FIL said in a statement on Thursday.
"Some years ago their house was completely destroyed by fire. Mainly with the help of their only son, the family had begun to rebuild the house which is still far from completion," it said.
The FIL said it had launched a donation campaign and opened a bank account. "As immediate support, the FIL already transferred 10,000 euros to the family," it said.
An FIL official told Reuters all 53 national luge federations had been contacted.
Several investigations into the crash are still ongoing.
The International Olympic Committee, also awaiting the final reports, has said it had a moral responsibility but not a legal one, with the federation and organizers responsible for the construction of the track and the staging of competitions.
(Writing by Karolos Grohmann, Editing by Ed Osmond)
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