FIL President Fendt attends presentation of Kumaritashvili book

Tiflis/Georgia (RWH) Josef Fendt has attended an event in Tiflis, the capital of Georgia. The event was a presentation for a book about the all too short life of Nodar Kumaritashvili. In his opening address, the President of the International Luge Federation (FIL) said that 12 February 2010 – the day that the young luge athlete passed away – was the worst day of his 24 years in office. Nodar Kumaritashvili was involved in a fatal accident during the final training session on the opening day to the Winter Olympic Games in the Canadian city of Vancouver.

The book describes Nodar’s life through the eyes of his family. As well as his parents Dodo and Davit and sister Mariam, the book presentation was also attended by the President of Georgia’s National Olympic Committee, Leri Khabalov. Fendt, who was accompanied by Executive Director Christoph Schweiger, also once again emphasised the importance of his close personal relationship with the family. The FIL President received a gift in memory of the occasion.

Fendt provided the foreword for the book. The family’s memories of the athlete are also accompanied by passages from the Olympic Champion Felix Loch (GER) and Armin Zöggeler (ITA), both of whom knew Nodar Kumaritashvili.

The book is also due to be presented at the 66th FIL Congress in Bratislava in mid-June.