Cesana, Italy (pps) Jan Steler will celebrate an unusual jubilee at the 53rd Congress of the International Luge Federation, FIL, at Cesana, Italy. The Vice President then has served the international governing body for exactly 50 years and thus even longer than FIL exists.

The Pole, who has been living and working in France since 1959, was elected to the Technical Commission of the section luge of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, FIBT, in 1955 – two years before the official founding of FIL. Steler thus is undoubtedly the longest-serving official of FIL. Steler was FIL Secretary General from 1971 until 1994, since 1994 he has been Vice President for International Affairs.

Steler also earned a reputation in luge as an architect. The 77-year-old had a great share in designing the Olympic tracks at Grenoble , Sapporo, Lake Placid, La Plagne, France, Lillehammer and Salt Lake City. He received numerous awards for his merits, among them the Olympic Order in Silver of the International Olympic Committee, IOC, in 1993.