Oberwiesenthal (pps) It is the first time that Bruno Banani of Tonga, who finished in 36th position at the 42nd FIL Luge World Championships in Cesana, Italy, will prepare for the upcoming season with the German national team. The 23-year old athlete of the Kingdom in the South Pacific will thus be part of the training group in Oberwiesenthal. This preparation for the next luge season is part of the “Sponsorship-Programme” of the International Luge Federation, FIL.

“Already last winter Bruno trained together for a short period so as to not fly back and forth for the different World Cup events. And this time round, he will complete the entire training programme with us. However, there were some visa problems so that his start was a bit delayed”, explained Torsten Goerlitzer, head of the Oberwiesenthal training group. In July 2011 the Kingdom of Tonga was officially accepted as 49th Member Federation of the International Luge Federation, FIL.