Success is like anything worthwhile. It has a price. You have to pay the price to win and you have to pay the price to get to the point where success is possible. Most important, you must pay the price to stay there. –Vince Lombardi.

Athletes around the world convey a sense of nationalistic pride when representing their respective countries at the Olympics. Achieving success at such a grand stage not only brings international acclaim, but stimulates countless viewers worldwide with thrills that cannot be witnessed on a daily basis. However, in some instances, the risks involved remain too dangerous. The question is, at what cost will officials realize the potential hazards?

On Feb. 12, with a few hours left before the dawning of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, tragedy struck Vancouver. Nodar Kumaritashvili, a 21-year-old Georgian luger, was killed shortly before the lighting of the Olympic Torch. Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled and crashed into a trackside pole going nearly 90 mph when practicing for the next day’s competition.

After months of preparation, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) failed to take into account the dangers of the sliding luge track in Vancouver, despite persistence from teams who had been aware of the perilous course. Officials did not pay attention as lugers criticized Canada for not allocating enough training time on a course deemed as the "most challenging track in the world” by its designers. They ignored dissent from groups about one of the track’s bends: No. 13. Heading into the games, it held the moniker '50-50' by bobsledders because that was the prospective ratio between crashing and running smoothly.

The matter at hand is not whether the IOC should enforce preventative measures to ensure the safety of athletes, but how and to what extent. Safety should dictate every agenda as a top priority. IOC President, Jacques Rogge, has been disconsolate over the disheartening loss of the promising luger, yet remains silent on the issue. For now, morality has been overcome by a desire for ratings and greediness of the Olympic board.

"We will look into that in collaboration with the international federation and we'll take all the steps that might be needed," Rogge said in an interview with the Associated Press. "The tragedy is something we will not forget, that goes without saying."

First off, none of the athletes should have been allowed to race down the track until it had been cleared by officers on the committee. A full investigation should have commenced the ensuing day in order to make certain that no other individual could face possible harm.  However, racers faced the track the next day as if a minor bump had just scraped the event schedule. The IOC’s principles are now being called into question after a lackadaisical attempt to mend a growing concern.

The IOC can push the envelope, but must take further precautions to eliminate any potential dangers. The competition is breathtaking for spectators, but human life will always remain priceless. Day by day, the committee stands to lose its integrity in the eyes of a myriad of sports organizations and individuals across the world.