FIL Family congratulates Honorary President Josef Fendt on his 75th birthday

Berchtesgaden (FIL/05 Oct, 2022) The FIL Family congratulates its Honorary President Josef "Sepp" Fendt on his 75th birthday, which the jubilarian will celebrate on October 6, 2022, in his home town of Berchtesgaden.
Josef Fendt was President of the International Luge Federation, FIL, for 26 years. Thus, the two-time luge World Champion (1970 and 1974) and silver medallist at the 1976 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck was one of only three Presidents in the history of the FIL. In June 1994, Fendt was elected to the FIL presidency for the first time at the Congress in Rome.
Fendt was confirmed in office six times by the World Congress. In 2020, he then handed over the leadership of the international federation to Einars Fogelis from Latvia. Under Fendt's leadership, the number of member federations exceeded the mark of 50 nations. Furthermore, the doubling of the TV presence was achieved.

After 26 years at the helm of the FIL and 35 years on the FIL Executive Board, President Josef Fendt bid a modest farewell with an emotional speech at the Online Congress in November 2020 and reminded his successor Einars Fogelis, who has just been elected as only the third President in the 63-year history of the FIL, of the most important goal for the future: "The preservation of luge as an Olympic sport must have top priority for the future FIL leadership".