Track used in luge death to be modified

WHISTLER, British Columbia, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Officials with the Vancouver Olympic committee said the Canadian luge track where a Georgian athlete died during a training run will be modified.

Committee members, along with International Luge Federation officials, said while no deficiencies were found with the Whistler Sliding Center luge track, the curve where luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili crashed will be altered to prevent future accidents, CNN reported.

Kumaritashvili, 21, crashed and was thrown from his sled near the end of the 4,500-foot-long course Friday during his final training run for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Officials said the track was scheduled to reopen Saturday as members of the British Columbia Coroners Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have completed their investigations of the site.

Officials with the committee and the federation said in a joint statement the changes to the track's curve 16 would include raising the walls at the curve's exit, altering the curve's so-called ice profile.

"This was done as a preventative measure, in order to avoid that such an extremely exceptional accident could occur again," the two groups said.