The Olympic men's luge competition will run from the lower women's start as an extra precaution after the death of a Georgian slider in training, organisers said yesterday.

Training was due to resume with two full runs for the men at the Whistler Sliding Centre yesterday after 21-year-old Nodar Kumaritashvili, a first-time Olympian, was killed in a crash the day before.

Organisers have since raised the walls at the exit of curve 16 where he died and changed the ice profile as preventative measures, despite concluding that there was no indication the accident was caused by any deficiency in the track.

The medals will be decided today.

"The jury has made a decision to lower the men's competition start to the current women's start," FIL (International Luge Federation) secretary general Svein Romstad told a news conference.

"Also the technical delegates and jury are currently working with the track management to adjust the women's and doubles starts as a precautionary measure," he said.

"As soon as a decision has been made on this, we will inform you."

Romstad said the decision had been taken primarily for emotional reasons, to reassure the shaken sliders after the tragic event.

"The primary concern we have right now is the emotional aspect of it," he added, pointing out that the difference in speeds reached by the men and women from their respective starts was around 10kph.

An FIL spokesman later told Reuters that the competitors would no longer have to negotiate two corners and the steepest part of the track as a result of the start switch.