It's supposed to be a time for celebration in Vancouver, as opening ceremonies tonight mark the start of the Winter Olympics.
But now, a man who was supposed to compete there -- a luge team member from the country of Georgia -- has died in a training crash.
The head of the International Olympic Committee says the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili (noh-DAHR' KOO'-mah-ree-tahsh-VEE'-lee) "clearly casts a shadow over these games."
Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled, went over the track wall and struck an unpadded steel pole near the finish line at Whistler Sliding Center.
Doctors were unable to revive him, and the 21-year-old died at a hospital.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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