Olympic official with direct knowledge of crash says men’s Olympic luger has died

AP source: Georgian Olympic luger dies after crash

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — An Olympic official with direct knowledge of the situation says a men’s luger from the former Soviet republic of Georgia has died after a crash during training. The official tells The Associated Press that the International Olympic Committee received confirmation of Nodar Kumaritashvili’s death. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the 21-year-old luger’s family hadn’t been notified yet.

An official statement is to be released soon.

Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled near the finish Friday, went over the track wall and struck an unpadded steel pole near the finish line at Whistler Sliding Center.