FIL and OBS Meet in Madrid to Shape the Future of Luge Broadcasting within the Olympic Games

The Workshop marks a new chapter in the partnership between luge and Olympic Broadcasting Services

The International Luge Federation took a significant step forward in its broadcast ambitions on October 15, when FIL Head of Broadcast Patrick Öffl and Sport Director Matthias Böhmer sat down with a twelve-member team from Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) in Madrid for a full-day working session.

The meeting — the first of its kind between FIL and OBS at this level of depth — addressed a single, overarching question: how can the fastest sport on ice be reimagined for the modern media audience? Sessions covered every competitive format in the luge program — men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and team relay — with OBS bringing both perspective and ambition to the table.

The conversation began with a thorough review of Cortina 2026, drawing conclusions from what worked and identifying the opportunities that the next two Olympic cycles present. From there, the focus moved firmly to the future. For French Alps 2030 at La Plagne, the partners discussed which camera technologies, data graphics and production concepts can realistically be developed and tested through FIL World Cups and World Championships now — with enough time to refine them before the Games. For Utah 2034, a longer development arc offers the possibility of co-designing not only the broadcast product but the event presentation itself.

The OBS delegation was led by Chief Production Officer Mark Wallace, whose presence underlined the seriousness with which OBS is approaching the development of luge as a broadcast property. Among the highlights of the day was the agreement that FIL and OBS will pursue a joint innovation roadmap — a structured Develop → Test → Evaluate → Refine → Test Again process that treats the FIL World Cup calendar as a living laboratory. Marcin Grzybowski, designated as OBS Senior Host Broadcast Producer for Sliding Sports going forward, will be a key figure in that process.

“It is not every day that a federation and OBS sit in a room together like this,” Patrick Öffl said. “The level of engagement from the OBS side told us everything we needed to know about where luge stands in their thinking — and about the work ahead of us.”

The partnership also opens a direct channel to olympic.com for closer coordination on digital content distribution, another priority area identified during the session.