Cousin of Georgian luger that died at Vancouver 2010 is going to Beijing Olympics
Twelve years after his cousin died tragically on the opening day of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, Saba Kumaritashvili will compete in Beijing.
Saba is one of nine athletes from Georgia that have qualified for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. He’ll compete in the sport of luge, the same sliding sport his cousin Nodar died while doing during a training run in Whistler on February 12, 2010 — hours before the Opening Ceremony at BC Place in Vancouver.
Former IOC President Jacques Rogge said it “clearly casts a shadow over these Games” in a statement back in 2010.
“We are deeply struck by this tragedy and join the IOC in extending our condolences to the family, friends and teammates of this athlete, who came to Vancouver to follow his Olympic dream,” VANOC CEO John Furlong added at the time.
Saba is 21 years old, the same age as Nodar was back in 2010, and is making his Olympic debut.
Kumaritashvili is dedicating his Olympic performance in Beijing to Nodar, according to Georgian television station Mtavari Channel.
“I feel a great responsibility to Nodar, my family and Georgia that after Nodar Kumaritashvili I should also participate in the Olympics,” Saba told Georgian website Sport4me.ge. “Before each run… I think about Nodar; it strengthens me more and gives me triple motivation.”
Saba credits his grandfather Felix Kumaritashvili for the successes of both he and his late cousin, as he was their coach. He says Felix is the reason they both fell in love with the sport.
Georgia has participated as an independent country at the Olympic Games since 1994. It has won 40 Olympic medals at the Summer Olympics but is still in search of its first-ever medal at the Winter Games.
A country of approximately 3.7 million people, Georgia gained its independence in 1991, following the fall of the Soviet Union. Located in Asia, Georgia borders Russia, Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
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