2010 Winter Olympics--Slovene Protest Filed Over Safety of Olympic Course is Rejected

IOC, FIS and VANOC rejected today the Slovene protest that was filed on February 20 over the safety of the cross country course on which the bronze medal winner Petra Majdic fell into the ravine and broke four ribs and suffered collapsed lung.

This is the second time that IOC has denied that the Olympian course was at fault or had safety issues. IOC also previously rejected the protest Georgia had filed over the safety of the luge track on which Georgian athlete Nodar Kumarishtavili tragically lost his life during the training run. The committee's suggestion that the athlete's inexperience was at root of the tragic accident set off an international uproar.

However, the influx of the international objections and criticism didn't stop IOC to deny one more time they were responsible for the dangerous conditions on the Olympic course. The cross country competition jury inspected the course from which Petra Majdic fell into the ditch and rejected the Slovene protest over its safety as well.

The competition jury conducted a review and examined the tapes from host broadcaster and concluded that the section of the course where Majdic fell was nine meter wide and within safety parameters. According to the competition jury, Majdic lost control when navigating the turn. She fell three meters into the ditch because she was running on the outer rim of the course and not on the course itself.

The cross country course was in good condition on the eve of the accident concluded the competition jury. Overnight, sections of the course became icy contributing to higher speeds on the course. A day before the Majdic' accident the competition jury also widened the turn on request of one of the coaches.

The competition jury has also added that before the training there were no protests filed over the dangerous conditions on the course or over the safety of the course even though the coaches can file the protests up to 15 minutes before the training.

According to the jury, the turn of the course on which Majdic fell is also part of the sprint course on which many other athletes have run without any problems. There never was a skiing accident on this turn during training or competition.

Debate on whether the cross country course should have been cleared on safety grounds will undoubtedly go on. Slovene Olympic Committee is considering taking a legal action against IOC. Arguments of IOC, VANOC and FIS might or might not stand the course of time; however whatever the outcome, or who was at fault has little weight unless more attention is devoted to the safety of the athletes in the future.

The fact that there are often no rules on fencing off the competition courses shouldn't be enough to abandon the basic rules of safety. The nature of the winter sports is dictating too high speeds, too hazardous jumps and too steep runs. Safety should become the priority. After all, our athletes can not be the gladiators of modern era.

With four broken ribs and collapsed lungs Majdic won the bronze medal in a sport that requires major lung and physical exertion and hard striding and poling. For her courageous effort the president of Slovenia Danilo Turk awarded her with the country's Golden Order for Services.