64th FIL Congress in Lake Placid: Focus on Ethics Code – 2018 Olympics in mind

Lake Placid (RWH) The 64th Congress of the International Luge Federation (FIL), which is set to take place in Lake Placid, NY, on June 17-18, 2016, will focus in detail on the Ethics Code, with the 2018 Olympics in mind.

In addition to the reports by FIL President Josef Fendt of Germany, a speech by Secretary General Svein Romstad (USA) and a financial overview from Vice President Harald Steyrer (AUT), the new Ethics Code will also be on the agenda. Dr Christian Krähe (GER), the General Counsel of the FIL, will provide background information and explanatory notes about this issue. The Ethics Code was developed by Dr. Krähe together with Norbert Hiedl (GER).

The conference agenda also includes a raft of motions relating to the statutes and amendments to the International Luge Regulations (IRO). The 2020 FIL Championships will also be awarded. To conclude, the venue of the 2018 congress will be decided. The FIL, which was established in 1957, can look back on a very eventful 2015-2016 season, which featured highlights such as the World Championships in Königssee (GER), the highly successful debut of the sprint discipline, and the second Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

Looking to the future, the prospects for the umbrella organization also appear to be good. The Olympic track in PyeongChang will experience an international baptism of fire when it hosts the Viessmann Luge World Cup in February 2017. The FIL’s institutions are in close contact with Beijing as it prepares to host the 2022 Winter Games.

FIL President Josef Fendt therefore does not believe that his sport’s Olympic status is under threat. “Luge itself has the status of ‘core sport in the Olympic program’, and I do not currently see any specific threat of losing this status,” Fendt said in an interview in the latest issue of the FIL magazine. Fendt continued: “On the other hand, there is criticism relating to the increasing cost of ice tracks. We are already working closely with the International Olympic Committee to counteract this issue.”