is essential to withstand the extreme G-forces of tight turns at high speeds. Since lugers have very little protection other than a visor and helmet, they must be able to endure the physical pounding administered by the track when mistakes are made. Risks As with many extreme sports, luging has risks. Though most injuries involve bumps, bruises, broken bones and concussions, fatalities do occasionally occur. Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili suffered a fatal crash during his final practice run for the 2010 Winter Olympics on the Whistler Sliding Centre in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Hours later, the International Luge Federation concluded that the accident was caused by a steering error and not a track error; nevertheless, changes to the track were made before the re-opening. Kumaritashvili was the fourth athlete to die while in preparation for a Winter Olympics competition, following speed skier Nicolas Bochatay, aged 27, who died while preparing for the Albertville 1992 games; and British luger Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki and skier Ross Milne, aged 19, who both died in the run-up to the Innsbruck 1964 games. Governing body The sport of luge is governed by the Fédération International de Luge de Course (FIL, International Luge Federation). The FIL is based in Salzburg, Austria, and includes 53 member nations. It has traditionally had a dominant number of German-speaking representatives. The following persons have been president of the FIL: Bert Isatitsch, Austria (1957–1994) Josef Fendt, Germany (1994–present) Olympic medal table Men's singles up to: 2022 Doubles up to: 2022 Women's singles up to: 2022 Team relay up to: 2022 Total Olympic Medals up to: 2022 including East Germany and West Germany including Soviet Union and Russian Olympic Committee Fatal accidents See also World Luge Championships World Luge Natural Track Championships List of Luge World Cup champions European Luge Championships European Luge Natural Track Championships Bobsleigh Skeleton Toboggan Street luge References External links International Luge Federation Bob- und Schlittenverband für Deutschland/German Luge Federation Österreichischer Rodelverband/Austrian Luge Federation United States Luge Association Natural Track: Upper Peninsula Luge Club of Michigan, USA Brazilian Luge Federation British Luge Association Croatian Luge Federation Winter Olympic sports Racing vehicles Racing Sledding Winter sports Human-powered vehicles Sliding vehicles Sports originating in Switzerland