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Men's Luge Tops Olympic Medal Events Sunday


The Winter Olympics resume Sunday with five medal events, including men's luge, two days after a Georgian luger was killed during a practice run.

Organizers have made changes to the luge track to make it safer and a bit slower for competitors. Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia died after crashing and hitting a steel pillar while speeding down the course Friday.

Bad weather continues to force delays in the men's and women's skiing schedule. A combination of rain, sleet and snow has rendered the runs unraceable.

Olympic officials say they are untroubled by what some see as a rocky start to the games in Vancouver, Canada.

Mark Adams, the International Olympic Committee Communications Director, said Saturday he is confident that most people will enjoy the Olympics, now that the sporting events are under way.

Other medals will be awarded Sunday in women's speedskating, men's freestyle skiing, the men's biathlon, and the nordic combined competition.

The first gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics was awarded to ski jumper Simon Ammann of Switzerland.

The United States leads the early medal count with four overall, including one gold. South Korea follows with one gold and one silver. The Netherlands, Slovakia and Switzerland each have one gold.

Poor weather, the death of the Georgian luger, and violent protests cast a cloud over the first full day of competition.

Police in downtown Vancouver clashed Saturday with about 200 protesters who vandalized cars and smashed store windows. The purpose of the demonstration was not clear, though previous demonstrations opposed poverty and the high cost of the Olympic games.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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