The track Kumaritashvili was practicing on has the longest drop of all luge courses at 152 meters. He was going 90 mph when he lost control of his sled, flew over a wall, and was thrown into a metal support beam. He was knocked unconscious immediately, given CPR and was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

There were two other accidents on the same luge track before Kumaritashvili’s death. According to Yahoo.com, on Friday, Armin Zoeggeler of Italy lost control was did injured. On Thursday, Romanian luger, Violeta Stramaturaru lost control and crashed. She was air-lifted from the track, but did not suffer any serious injuries.

After the death of Kumaritashvili, Olympic officials took precautions and made the track safer for athletes. The ice was shaved down and the walls were raised to prevent lugers from being thrown from the track.

Officials also shortened the track for male athletes, making them start at the female origin point; a full 600 feet shorter. Many lugers are discouraged by the shortening of the track. According to Bleachreport.com, USA Luge CEO Ron Rossi believes that the shortening of the track was made to accommodate less talented lugers and short handed the best athletes out of competition.

Shortening the track has created a new wave of problems. Only having a few practice runs, the lugers are unfamiliar with the opening stretch of the track.

The death of Kumaritashvili made the opening ceremony to the 2010 Winter Olympics a rather solemn one. The athletes were wearing black ribbons in remembrance of the fallen athlete.

Many people tuned into the Opening Ceremony to see if it would outdo the 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony in Beijing. There were interesting aspects to the ceremony. Canada paid tribute to all of its regions by incorporating the history, cultural aspects, and beauty of each region.

A young acrobat did a breathtaking interpretation of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” while seemingly grazing over beautiful Canadian meadows.

There was a mechanical error in lighting the Olympic torch. It was the first torch to be lit indoors in the history of the Olympic Games. Basketball player Steve Nash; hockey star Wayne Gretsky; Women’s Athlete of the Century Senator Nancy Greene Raine; and former Olympic Speed Skater Catriona LeMay Doan, were all supposed to light the torch simultaneously. Four podiums were supposed to rise out of the floor and lead to the torch. Only three of the four podiums rose, so Wayne Gretsky left the stadium and lit the outdoor torch alone. The outdoor torch will remain lit throughout the Olympic Games.

The Opening Ceremony in Vancouver may not have been the best in recent history, but it will surely be remembered.

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Although the first modern-style Olympic games began in 1896, the Winter Sports did not separate from the Summer Games until 1924, when the first official Olympic Winter games were held in Chamonix, France. Sixteen nations and 258 athletes (of which only 11 were women) participated in 16 events. This year, VANOC anticipates that approximately 2,500 athletes will arrive in Vancouver to participate in 15 sports.

The United States will send more than 200 athletes north of the border for the games, including several familiar names.

Joining popular athlete Shaun White on the halfpipe will be snowboarder Hannah Teter. Teter’s first Olympic appearance took place in 2006 at the Torino, Italy games. There, Teter overcame a knee injury to secure the event’s gold medal. The snowboarder then decided to use her talent in a positive fashion.

Shortly after winning, Teter formed the charity foundation “Hannah’s Gold.” The organization uses proceeds from the Vermont athlete’s own winnings as well as from maple syrup sales. Teter recently visited the small Kenyan community “Hannah’s Gold” supports, where she promised to help the residents purchase land for agriculture. Vancouver will be Teter’s second appearance at the Olympics. She will participate in the Ladies Snowboarding competition which is scheduled to begin on Thursday, Feb. 18.

Fans of ABC’s hit television show “Dancing with the Stars” will recognize the name Apolo Ohno. The short track skater won the dance competition in 2007 during a break from his sport following Torino. The Seattle native has participated in every Olympic games since 2002.

Ohno has won a total of five Olympic medals, two of which were gold. In Vancouver, Ohno has four chances to skate his way onto the podium. He has qualified for the 500m, 1,000m and the 1,500m distances, as well as the 5,000m relay. Ohno has been training religiously for the games. The speed skating events begin at noon on Feb. 13 and continue through Feb. 20.

In the hype surrounding the Torino Olympics, many pinned their hopes for Alpine skiing gold on Bode Miller. Miller was expected to rule the results board in all five events in which he had qualified. In 2006, he held four separate world titles. However, the skier left Torino without a single medal. He caused some controversy when he remarked to the international media that despite his losses he “got to party and socialize at an Olympic level.” Despite taking time off from the sport to rest an injured ankle, Miller joined Team USA and is headed to the snowy mountains outside Vancouver. He had previously split with Team USA to form Team America on his own. The skier’s return to the official U.S. roster is somewhat controversial. Miller gained negative press in the past when he confessed that he had sometimes hit the slopes while intoxicated.

However, it appears that Miller is in the process of re-shaping his rebel image. The Alpine skiing events run for two weeks beginning Saturday, Feb. 13 until Feb. 27.

The Olympic games promise to be very entertaining. VANOC has estimated that over three billion people worldwide will tune in to watch the 2010 games on television. The U.S. has athletes participating in every event of the Olympic Games.

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