Olang (ck) - “I am very, very surprised in a positive way. The use of highly developed equipment on a natural track, this is a very appealing concept. But it needs to be communicated”, said René Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation as well as of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations AIOWF (a union of the seven Olympic International Winter Sport Federations) and member of the IOC during his visit of the European Championships in Olang.
That he has been surprised shows up that there are problems in the image of the sport. Too many people believe that natural track luge is just a modified form of leisurely tobogganing. “It has to be pointed out that there is a huge difference, because the idea behind this sport is a very modern and trendy one”, Fasel said. “When new tracks are built, they do not destroy the environment, but melt in very well. There is no problem with the later use of the venues as the tracks can be used for tourism and for training purposes. And in spite of being very natural and ecological it is a highly developed and very technical sport. Winning a competition is not a question of luck, but of very hard and thorough work.” But he also does not hold back with the bitter truth that it will be a long and tough way to become eventually member of the Olympic family. “A long preparation time is necessary because the national federations have to have enough time to prepare their athletes so that all countries have equally good chances to win medals. I think a period of seven years has to be expected.” This perspective does not leave much hope for Sotchi 2014. „But I would hold on to a vision of Sotchi 2014. Of course the support of the Russian Federation would be a big help, but besides this all the other requirements of the IOC have to be completed.”
This includes the integration of Asian and North American countries as well as the closing of the gap between the performance of the top athletes from the leading nations and those from other nations. To achieve the goal to be an Olympic Sport some day soon, the Swiss René Fasel has a recipe: “A lot of time and competence has to be invested to change the makeshift appearance into a professional one without losing the affinity to the natural environment.”
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FIL Media Service