FIL congratulates honorary member Baron Falz-Fein on his 105th birthday

Vaduz/Liechtenstein (RWH) The International Luge Federation (FIL) has sent a congratulatory message to mark the 105 birthday of honorary member Baron Eduard Alexandrowitsch von Falz-Fein. Harald Steyrer, Vice President of Finance, took the opportunity to present a gift to the baron in person on his special day, 14 September 2017, in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

Baron Falz-Fein, who has been an honorary member of the FIL since 1978 and one of the key players behind the inclusion of luge in the Olympic programme, can look back on a long and eventful life. He became the treasurer of the FIL in 1962, and managed the finances of the world association for 15 years. Even after his retirement, he was a frequent and popular guest at FIL congresses.

Aged two, the Russian noblemen sat on the lap of Tsar Nicholas II, was one of the last people to admire the legendary Amber Room in its original form in 1917, worked as Berlin correspondent for the French sports newspaper L’Équipe after an adventurous escape, before ultimately ending up in Liechtenstein. He even competed for the principality at the Winter Olympic Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1936.

In 2003 the fan of fast cars and beautiful women was awarded the “Golden Laurel” by the Principality of Liechtenstein. Four years later, Falz-Fein received the Medal of Pushkin from Russian President Vladimir Putin “for his significant contribution to the conservation of the cultural heritage of Russia”.

Prince Nikita Lobanov-Rostovsky once described his friend as follows: “emigré, playboy, athlete, businessman and patron of the arts”.