Cannes (pps) Germany’s three-time Olympic champion Georg Hackl and Austria’s Alpine skier Hermann Maier are the most famous winter sports athletes in their home countries. But that’s just one result of the latest and representative 2005/06 winter sports survey presented by IFM on the occasion of their winter sports congress at Cannes, France, in May. Surprisingly, Austrian Maier also achieved the highest degree of familiarity in Switzerland.

Georg Hackl and ski-jumper Martin Schmitt are ‘old acquaintances’ at the top in that survey. The three-time World luge champion achieved a spontaneous familiarity of 31 percent among German citizens, Schmitt 27 percent. Last winter’s shooting star was biathlete Kati Wilhelm who took third position with 20 percent.

“Long-term sporting success is the secret”, said Jens Seeberger, head of business communications and PR of IFM. The IFM winter sports survey – a representative market research poll – was carried out in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the three top markets of winter sports. Besides familiarity, liking and image of athletes the questions also deal in detail with sports, winter sports events and sponsors.