Bakuriani , Georgia ( CNN ) -- The 21-year-old Georgian luger who propelled to his death after sliding off the track during an Olympic practice run in Vancouver was laid to rest in his hometown Saturday . Some 4,000 citizens from every walk of life mourned silently as Nodar Kumaritashvili was buried in his hometown of Bakuriani . The mourners included President Mikhail Saakashvili , who was clad in a Georgian Olympics shirt to show his national solidarity . `` I wanted to throw a wedding feast for you , '' the athlete 's father , David Kumaritashvili , said in a eulogy . `` Instead we have a funeral . '' Kumaritashvili died during a practice run when he slammed into a steel pole near the end of the 4,500-foot-long course and was propelled off the track , according to the International Olympics Committee . A preliminary inquiry said human error caused the accident because he came out of a turn too late . But Nodar 's family and many Georgians do n't accept that explanation . There had been concerns from athletes about the speed of the record-setting track at the Whistler Sliding Center in Vancouver ahead of the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics , according to a Georgian official . `` There were some questions asked by other athletes even before this tragic accident , '' said Nikolas Rurua , Georgia 's deputy minister for culture and sports , adding that there had been several crashes in the same area . `` But at this moment it would be premature for me to jump to any conclusions . '' Video of the crash shows Kumaritashvili lying motionless after being thrown from his sled and striking the pole when he was coming out of the course 's last turn . He was given cardio-pulmonary resuscitation by medical staff on site before being transported to a hospital where doctors were unable to revive him , the IOC said . The luge is often called the `` fastest sport on ice . '' Sliders use their legs and shoulders to steer small fiberglass sleds down an icy track , at times approaching or surpassing speeds of 90 mph , according to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Web site . They are positioned on their backs with their feet straight out in front of them and their heads back to be as aerodynamic as possible . A track speed record -- and world speed record -- was recorded at Whistler on February 21 , 2009 , when a single men 's luge athlete , Germany 's Felix Loch , topped 95 mph during competition . American luger Tony Benshoof held the previous world speed record of 86.8 mph set in 2001 . A somber seven-member Georgian delegation wore black armbands to the February 12 opening ceremonies , and a black ribbon was tied atop the Georgian flag in tribute to Kumaritashvili . The team received a standing ovation from the 60,000 spectators in attendance . Kumaritashvili 's death was the first time an athlete had been killed during the games since 1992 , when a Swiss skier crashed into a snow-clearing machine on a public trail while training in the closing days of the games , according to NBC News , the official broadcaster of the Vancouver Games . Journalist Eka Kadagishvili contributed to this report .
Nodar was killed during Olympics marathon run in Vancouver . Preliminary inquiry says human error caused death . Other athletes expressed concerned about the condition of the training equipment . Kumaritashvili 's death was the first since previous Games .