Russian National Sliding Centre
Encyclopedia
The Russian National Sliding Centre is a bobsleigh
, luge
, and skeleton
track that will be located in Rzhanaya Polyana
, Russia
, located 60 km (37 mi) northeast of Sochi
. Located in the Western Caucasus
, this venue will host the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events for the 2014 Winter Olympics
.
and Salzburg
, Austria
on 4 July 2007. By 2009, the location was changed to Rzyhanaya Polyana, located not far from Krasnaya Polyana.
135.7 million. Located 1215 m above sea level
, the track will have permanent seating of 500, a temporary seating of 500, and a standing room crowd of 10,000 during the 2014 games. Track start heights will be 1365 meters for bobsleigh, skeleton, and men's singles luge while it will be 1325 meters for luge — women's singles and men's doubles. The finish height for the track will be 1215 meters. It will have 19 curves for bobsleigh and skeleton, 20 turns for men's singles luge, and 17 turns for luge — women's singles/ men's doubles. Post-Olympic usage will involve international bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton competitions and training for Russia
n athletes involved in those sports. during the weekend of 4–5 April 2009, a report on the track status was given at the International Luge Federation (FIL) Commissions meeting in St. Leonhard, Austria (near Salzburg) by the artificial track technical commission in the presence of FIL President Josef Fendt
though no details were disclosed.
in Germany
stated that "the FIL is not to blame for the problems occurring in connection with the track location."
Russia over its location near a World Heritage Site
Following Greenpeace Russia's official examination of the facility near the Sochi National Park
, it was determined that about ten other places could be used outside of the park for track construction. Controversy about the track also included the Northern Caucasus Brown Bear
's location near the track for which the bear is an endangered species.
(IOC) visit in Sochi on 21 May 2009.
in Whistler, British Columbia
, Canada
, Georgian
luge
r Nodar Kumaritashvili
suffered a fatal crash during a training run. He died from the injuries suffered in this crash. Kumaritashvili was injured when he flew off the track and collided with a steel pole. He was going 143.3 km/h (89 mph) at the time. His accident came after a series of incidents in the week and reignited concerns about the track's safety. Investigations were conducted the same day, concluding that the accident was not caused by deficiencies in the track. As a preventative measure, the walls at the exit of curve 16 will be raised and a change in the ice profile will be made. A joint statement was issued by the FIL, the International Olympic Committee
(IOC), and the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) over Kurmaitasvili's death with training suspended for the rest of that day. According to the Coroners Service of British Columbia and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP), the cause was to Kumaritashvili coming out of turn 15 late and not compensating for turn 16. Because of this fatality, an extra 100 ft (30.5 m) of wall was added after the end of Turn 16 and the ice profile was changed. It also moved the men's singles luge event from its starthouse to the one for both the women's singles and men's doubles event. Kumaritashvili is 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
. It was also luge's first fatality since 10 December 1975 when an Italian luger was killed.
Women's singles and men's doubles start was moved to the Junior start house of the track, located after turn 5. Germany
's Natalie Geisenberger
complained that it was not a women's start but more of a kinder ("child" in German) start. Her teammate Tatjana Hüfner
who had the fastest speed on two runs of 82.3 mph (132.4 km/h) stated that the new start position "..does not help good starters like myself". American
Erin Hamlin
stated the track was still demanding even after the distance was lessened from 1193 to 953 m (3,914 to 3,126.6 ft) and that you were still hitting 80 mph (128.7 km/h).
During a 14 February 2010 interview with Yahoo! Sports, FIL Secretary-General Svein Romstad stated that the federation considered cancelling the luge competition in the wake of Kumaritashvili's death two days earlier. Romstad stated that "[Kumaritashvili] ... made a mistake" on the crash, but also stated that "...any fatality is unnacceptable". Additionally, Romstad stated that the start houses were moved to their current locations "... mostly for an emotional reason". Because of Kumaritashvili's death, the FIL is working with the organizing committee for the 2014 Winter Olympics
in Sochi
over making the Sliding Centre in Rzhanaya Polyana
slower in speed.
Kumaritashvili's death raised concerns about athlete safety at the Winter Olympics. As of 21 February 2010, there have been 30 crashes in bobsleigh and luge at the Sliding Centre. 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 combonation of all three. Because of what has happened, the organizing committee of the 2014 Winter Olympics
have designed the Sliding Centre for the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events 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
. The IOC has improved safety standards over the years, including lowering obstacles for the equestrian
three-day event, requiring protective headgear for boxing
and ice hockey
, and tightening qualification standards to preclude athletes not qualified for the event. FIBT President Robert H. 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. Track designer Udo Gurgel of Germany told Sport Bild
that perhaps track walls should be raised 40 to 50 cm (15.7 to 19.7 in) on future courses though risk-proof a course may not be possible. 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. International Olympic Committee
President Jacques Rogge
stated that he "...will do everything in my power to that this should not happen again in the future".
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
, luge
Luge
A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
, and skeleton
Skeleton (sport)
Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
track that will be located in Rzhanaya Polyana
Rzhanaya Polyana
Rzhanaya Polyana is a natural area in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located not far from Krasnaya Polyana.Home of the to be constructed Russian National Sliding Centre, it will host the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events for the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi....
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located 60 km (37 mi) northeast of Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
. Located in the Western Caucasus
Western Caucasus
The Western Caucasus is a western region of the Caucasus in Southern Russia, extending from the Black Sea to Mount Elbrus.-World Heritage Site:...
, this venue will host the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events for the 2014 Winter Olympics
2014 Winter Olympics
The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event scheduled to be celebrated from 7 to 23 February 2014, in Sochi, Russia with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana. Both the Olympic and...
.
History
In 2006, it was announced that Russia will construct two new bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton tracks. The first track was located near Moscow while the second one would be located in Krasnaya Polyana. Sochi was chosen to host the 2014 Winter Olympics over Pyongchang, South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
on 4 July 2007. By 2009, the location was changed to Rzyhanaya Polyana, located not far from Krasnaya Polyana.
Proposed track
In their Olympic bid package, Sochi's track would cost RUBRussian ruble
The ruble or rouble is the currency of the Russian Federation and the two partially recognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Formerly, the ruble was also the currency of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union prior to their breakups. Belarus and Transnistria also use currencies with...
135.7 million. Located 1215 m above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, the track will have permanent seating of 500, a temporary seating of 500, and a standing room crowd of 10,000 during the 2014 games. Track start heights will be 1365 meters for bobsleigh, skeleton, and men's singles luge while it will be 1325 meters for luge — women's singles and men's doubles. The finish height for the track will be 1215 meters. It will have 19 curves for bobsleigh and skeleton, 20 turns for men's singles luge, and 17 turns for luge — women's singles/ men's doubles. Post-Olympic usage will involve international bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton competitions and training for Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n athletes involved in those sports. during the weekend of 4–5 April 2009, a report on the track status was given at the International Luge Federation (FIL) Commissions meeting in St. Leonhard, Austria (near Salzburg) by the artificial track technical commission in the presence of FIL President Josef Fendt
Josef Fendt
Josef Fendt is the current president of the Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course . He was a West German-German luger who competed from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s...
though no details were disclosed.
Controversies
Construction was scheduled to begin in 2007 and run until 2009 with testing events approved by the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation (FIBT) and the FIL in 2013 and 2014. There have been two issues with the track regarding location.Downhill grades
Seven different locations have been submitted to both the FIBT and FIL, but have all been rejected due to high downhill grades on the track. The joint track commission of the FIBT-FIL has expressed concerns over this issue. The head of the Königssee bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton trackKönigssee bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The Königssee bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton located in Schönau am Königsee, Germany. It is located near Königssee...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
stated that "the FIL is not to blame for the problems occurring in connection with the track location."
Caucasian bear location
The Western Caucasus site where the track will be located has been under fire from GreenpeaceGreenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
Russia over its location near a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
Following Greenpeace Russia's official examination of the facility near the Sochi National Park
Sochi National Park
Sochi National Park is a national park in Western Caucasus, near the city of Sochi, in Southern Russia. It is Russia's second oldest national park, established on May 5, 1983.-Geography:...
, it was determined that about ten other places could be used outside of the park for track construction. Controversy about the track also included the Northern Caucasus Brown Bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
's location near the track for which the bear is an endangered species.
Resolution
Both issues were resolved after FIL President Josef Fendt expressed his support along with an International Olympic CommitteeInternational Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC) visit in Sochi on 21 May 2009.
Safety
On 12 February 2010 at the Whistler Sliding CentreWhistler Sliding Centre
The Whistler Sliding Centre is a Canadian bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in Whistler, British Columbia, that is north of Vancouver. The centre is part of the Whistler Blackcomb resort, which comprises two ski mountains separated by Fitzsimmons Creek...
in Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
luge
Luge
A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
r Nodar Kumaritashvili
Nodar Kumaritashvili
Nodar David Kumaritashvili was a Georgian luger, who suffered a fatal crash during a training run for the 2010 Winter Olympics competition in Vancouver, Canada, on the day of the opening ceremony...
suffered a fatal crash during a training run. He died from the injuries suffered in this crash. Kumaritashvili was injured when he flew off the track and collided with a steel pole. He was going 143.3 km/h (89 mph) at the time. His accident came after a series of incidents in the week and reignited concerns about the track's safety. Investigations were conducted the same day, concluding that the accident was not caused by deficiencies in the track. As a preventative measure, the walls at the exit of curve 16 will be raised and a change in the ice profile will be made. A joint statement was issued by the FIL, the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC), and the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) over Kurmaitasvili's death with training suspended for the rest of that day. According to the Coroners Service of British Columbia and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP), the cause was to Kumaritashvili coming out of turn 15 late and not compensating for turn 16. Because of this fatality, an extra 100 ft (30.5 m) of wall was added after the end of Turn 16 and the ice profile was changed. It also moved the men's singles luge event from its starthouse to the one for both the women's singles and men's doubles event. Kumaritashvili is the first Olympic athlete to die at the Winter Olympics in training since 1992
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
and the first luger to die in a practice event at the Winter Olympics since Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypeski
Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypeski
Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki was a Polish-born British luge racer.Kay-Skrzypecki was a former pilot in the Royal Air Force. He died during one of the training runs for the first Olympic luge competition at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. Three days later, on 26 January 1964, Australian...
of Great Britain was killed at the luge track
Igls bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The Olympic Sliding Centre Innsburck is a venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton located in Igls, Austria . The most recent version of the track was completed in 1975 and is the first permanent, combination artificially refrigerated bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track, serving as a model for other...
used for the 1964 Winter Olympics
1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...
in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
. It was also luge's first fatality since 10 December 1975 when an Italian luger was killed.
Women's singles and men's doubles start was moved to the Junior start house of the track, located after turn 5. Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's Natalie Geisenberger
Natalie Geisenberger
Natalie Geisenberger is a German luger. She won a bronze medal in the women's singles event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver....
complained that it was not a women's start but more of a kinder ("child" in German) start. Her teammate Tatjana Hüfner
Tatjana Hüfner
Tatjana Hüfner is a German luger who is the current Olympic Champion and has competed since 2003. She won the bronze medal in the women's singles at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin...
who had the fastest speed on two runs of 82.3 mph (132.4 km/h) stated that the new start position "..does not help good starters like myself". American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Erin Hamlin
Erin Hamlin
Erin Hamlin is an American luger who has competed since 2005. She won the gold medal in the women's singles event at the 2009 FIL World Luge Championships in Lake Placid, New York; this marked the first time in 99 races that a German woman was not the top finisher.Hamlin finished 12th in the...
stated the track was still demanding even after the distance was lessened from 1193 to 953 m (3,914 to 3,126.6 ft) and that you were still hitting 80 mph (128.7 km/h).
During a 14 February 2010 interview with Yahoo! Sports, FIL Secretary-General Svein Romstad stated that the federation considered cancelling the luge competition in the wake of Kumaritashvili's death two days earlier. Romstad stated that "[Kumaritashvili] ... made a mistake" on the crash, but also stated that "...any fatality is unnacceptable". Additionally, Romstad stated that the start houses were moved to their current locations "... mostly for an emotional reason". Because of Kumaritashvili's death, the FIL is working with the organizing committee for the 2014 Winter Olympics
2014 Winter Olympics
The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event scheduled to be celebrated from 7 to 23 February 2014, in Sochi, Russia with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana. Both the Olympic and...
in Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
over making the Sliding Centre in Rzhanaya Polyana
Rzhanaya Polyana
Rzhanaya Polyana is a natural area in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located not far from Krasnaya Polyana.Home of the to be constructed Russian National Sliding Centre, it will host the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events for the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi....
slower in speed.
Kumaritashvili's death raised concerns about athlete safety at the Winter Olympics. As of 21 February 2010, there have been 30 crashes in bobsleigh and luge at the Sliding Centre. 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 combonation of all three. Because of what has happened, the organizing committee of the 2014 Winter Olympics
2014 Winter Olympics
The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event scheduled to be celebrated from 7 to 23 February 2014, in Sochi, Russia with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana. Both the Olympic and...
have designed the Sliding Centre for the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events 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
Computer simulation
A computer simulation, a computer model, or a computational model is a computer program, or network of computers, that attempts to simulate an abstract model of a particular system...
. The IOC has improved safety standards over the years, including lowering obstacles for the equestrian
Equestrian at the Summer Olympics
Equestrianism made its Summer Olympics debut at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. It disappeared until 1912, but has appeared at every Summer Olympic Games since. The current Olympic equestrian disciplines are Dressage, Eventing, and Jumping...
three-day event, requiring protective headgear for boxing
Boxing at the Summer Olympics
Boxing has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since its introduction to the program at the 1904 Summer Olympics, except for the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, because Swedish law banned the sport at the time. The 2008 Summer Olympics was the final games with boxing as a male only event...
and ice hockey
Ice hockey at the Olympic Games
Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games programme in 1924. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics...
, and tightening qualification standards to preclude athletes not qualified for the event. FIBT President Robert H. Storey
Robert H. Storey
Robert H. Storey is a Canadian bobsledder who competed from the mid 1960s to the early 1970s who later became a businessman and chairman to two communication companies in Canada...
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. Track designer Udo Gurgel of Germany told Sport Bild
Sport Bild
Sport Bild is a German sports weekly published every Wednesday. According to its publisher it is Europe's biggest sports magazine with a circulation of almost half million copies....
that perhaps track walls should be raised 40 to 50 cm (15.7 to 19.7 in) on future courses though risk-proof a course may not be possible. 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. International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
President Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
stated that he "...will do everything in my power to that this should not happen again in the future".
External links
- Sochi2014.com profile - accessed 22 February 2010.