FIL President Fendt expresses both praise and criticism for PyeongChang 2018

PyeongChang (RWH): The President of the International Luge Federation (FIL), Josef Fendt of Germany, has expressed both praise and criticism in equal measure during his visit to the future Olympic host city PyeongChang (KOR). Fendt, who visited the hosts of the 2018 Olympics with the Coordination Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), praised the progress made by the POCOG Organising Committee but also expressed concern over how the “Alpensia Sliding Centre” will be used after the Olympics, a matter which has yet to be clarified.

“We still don’t have any answers as to how the track will be run in future and who will run it,” said Fendt, who was accompanied by Executive Director Christoph Schweiger, who in turn was representing General Secretary Svein Romstad. The Winter Olympic Games will open on 9 February 2018 and will run until 25 February. 

In contrast, Fendt’s feedback concerning the Olympic organizers was positive. “In terms of the preparations for the Olympic luge events, POCOG has made major progress over the past few months, particularly in the area of sport. I believe that we can all look forward to a well-organised event,” said Fendt. “However, there is still a little more to do over the next few months, particularly in terms of the organisational details. We expect to build a constructive working relationship with those responsible at POCOG to make sure all of these matters can be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.”