Games chiefs insisted Thursday the luge track is safe following fresh criticism from the Georgian Olympic Committee that inadequate safety was to blame for the death of a young luger.
It follows previous concerns expressed by the family of Nodar Kumaritashvili and Georgian officials over the Whistler Sliding Centre track in the wake of the 21-year-old's horrific death despite a ruling that it was a result of human error.
And it comes as the New York Times reported that an Olympic luge athlete injured in a crash at the sliding centre warned Canadian officials over safety in November.
But International Olympic Committee director of communications Mark Adams again defended the track.
"In terms of safety and security we are very happy with the safety record of the track. It's a good track. We have had 5,000 luge runs there with no major incidents," he said.
"In fact the skeleton, which is a different sport but similar, we've just had three days' training without a single incident. I think someone's cut their chin.
"We think the track is a competitive track but we think it's safe and we think decisions were taken correctly."
His comments come after Georgian Olympic Committee chief Giorgi Natsvlishvili said: "Safety standards were not properly observed."
"No matter what the speed, the sportsman should never have left the track," he told journalists in comments shown on Rustavi-2 television.
Natsvlishvili denied claims that Kumaritashvili's lack of experience may have been to blame for the accident, saying the track was responsible.
"I exclude the possibility that Nodar was not experienced enough," he said. "From my point of view the track was at fault."
He indicated that Georgia make take further action in regard to the accident, but did not elaborate.
The New York Times reported that Werner Hoeger, who competed at the last two Games in Turin and Salt Lake City, said he lost consciousness and was concussed during a training run in November.
He sent a series of letters and email messages to Canadian and international luge officials after the crash spelling out his concerns over the safety of the track, the report said.
Kumaritashvili died during a training run last week after he lost control of his sled and was flung off the Olympic luge track before smashing into a metal pillar.
Even Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili joined the fray, saying no sporting error should result in death a day after luger was killed.
The International Luge Federation (FIL) and the Games organisers said in a statement earlier that the accident was a result of human error and there was no indication of track deficiencies.
The track was nonetheless altered after the death to slow it down and raise the walls around it.
Kumaritashvili's body was returned to Georgia on Wednesday and will be buried Saturday in his hometown of Bakuriani, a ski resort about 180 kilometres (112 miles) west of Tbilisi.
Copyright 2010  AFP Global Edition
