Salzburg. The International Luge Federation (FIL) is approaching a landmark Congress. The agenda of the 50th Jubilee Congress, which will take place from Friday to Sunday in St. Wolfgang at lake Wolfgangsee, not only includes festivities celebrating the 45th anniversary of the FIL, but also elections of a new FIL Presidium.
Josef Fendt from Berchtesgaden is up for re-election as the President of the FIL. At the 1994 Congress in Rome, the two-time World Champion and silver medallist of the 1976 Olympic Winter Games was elected successor to the deceased founding President Bert Isatitsch (Austria). Fendt’s rival is Dwight Bell, former President of the US Luge Federation (USLA) and Chef de Mission of the US Olympic team at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Surprisingly, Svein Romstad (USA), FIL Secretary General for many years, does not run for election again.
After Josef Fendt became President, the luge world steadily changed. „At that time our sport was hardly present on television. Our athletes were sliding just for the fun of it and out of personal ambition, but there was no thinking about prize money“, Fendt remembers the beginning of his office.
World Cup races are now regularly broadcast live in the German speaking areas of Europe, which are very important with regard to marketing issues, with top ratings exceeding 30 per cent. In the Olympic winter, the Pan-European station Eurosport broadcast altogether more than eleven hours; in North America there were altogether almost five hours of luge coverage. In the 2001/2002 season, the FIL paid out more than 120,000 Euros of prize money. „We have made the final leap into professionalism“, says FIL President Fendt.
This also shows in the longstanding partnership with sponsors. Since the winter of 1994/1995, the company Viessmann has been main and title sponsor of the World Cup series; the company Eberspächer has been acting as co-sponsor in the World Cup series for three winters. The increasingly popular Challenge Cup Series, which was started up three years ago, has been supported by the beer brewery Krombacher since last year. Permanent press work at all FIL events ensures strong coverage in the print media worldwide.
„It is my main goal to further increase the level, popularity and television coverage of the sport of luge“, announced Fendt. „The development of our sport must not come to a standstill.“