Athletes as TV experts - from sled to microphone

Beijing (FIL) Luge athletes are in demand by the media: Dajana Eitberger won an Olympic silver medal in PyeongChang 2018. Now the 31-year-old is temporarily getting off her sled and grabbing the TV microphone. Born in Thuringia, she lives with her family in Augsburg. After the birth of her son Levi, Eitberger started a comeback on the sled in the 2020/21 season. After a mixed Olympic season - with covid illness in December 2021 - the 31-year-old missed the Olympic qualification for Beijing and will instead accompany the women's races on the microphone as a TV expert for Eurosport. Eitberger's former luge colleague, the multiple Junior World Champion Julian von Schleinitz, was already on duty as an expert for Eurosport in Korea in 2018. Von Schleinitz and Eitberger will commentate from the Eurosport studios in Munich.

Other former or still active lugers are also in demand as television experts for various broadcasters during the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing 2022. The 2014 Sochi bronze medalist Erin Hamlin will share her expert knowledge with the TV audience during all live luge broadcasts from the studios in Stamford, CT for the US broadcaster NBC. The US Olympic athlete from 2014 Kate Hansen comments on the internet live stream of the US broadcaster. Hansen is on site in Beijing with the NBC team. Erin Hamlin said:
"It has been so great being a part of the games from a different perspective! Still knowing so many of the athletes and being able to tell their stories and follow the exciting racing so close has been so much fun! I hope to be able to continuing sharing the sport and growing it here in the US off the ice as much as I did while competing."

The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) has reliably signed two-time Olympic champions Andreas and Wolfgang Linger since their careers ended. The two brothers alternate between being TV experts in the ORF studio in Vienna and on site at the World Cup, including at the Winter Olympics in Beijing 2022. While Andreas conducts interviews with the ORF team in the mixed zone on site at the Yanqing National Sliding Center, his brother Wolfgang comments live on the races in Vienna, together with ORF sports reporter Dieter Derdak.

Arianne Jones will be at the CBC microphone in Canada for the entire Olympic season, including the Beijing 2022 races. The Sochi 2014 Olympian can also be heard from the CBC studios in Toronto during live Olympic race broadcasts due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.