Olympic luge death: 'Lack of experience' played a role

A "relative lack of experience" played a role in the death of the Georgian luger who died during a training run before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, a coroner's report says.

The document says Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, died immediately when he smashed into a steel pole after flipping his sled at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

The report, issued 235 days after the crash, calls the death accidental.

Mr Kumaritashvili hit the unpadded pillar at 90mph (145kph).

"The relative lack of experience Mr Kumaritashvili had on this challenging track set a backdrop for the incident and was a significant disadvantage, as far as safety was concerned, for the athlete entering the high pressure environment of the Olympic Games," said coroner Tom Pawlowski in his report.

Mr Pawlowski also wrote in his report that a letter written by International Luge Federation (FIL) President Josef Fendt said the newly built Whistler track "was not supplied as ordered".

But Mr Fendt's letter did not go as far as to ask Vancouver Olympics officials to investigate track speeds for the Olympic Games....