An Olympic official with direct knowledge of the situation says a men's luger from the former Soviet republic of Georgia has died after a crash during training. The official tells The Associated Press that the International Olympic Committee received confirmation of Nodar Kumaritashvili's death. K umaritashvili lost control of his sled near the finish Friday, went over the track wall and struck an unpadded steel pole near the finish line at Whistler Sliding Center.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the 21-year-old luger's family hadn't been notified yet. An official statement is to be released soon.