Cesana Pariol/Berchtesgaden (pps) The President of the International Luge Federation (FIL) Josef Fendt from Berchtesgaden rejects the criticism expressed by German federal coach Thomas Schwab with regard to insufficient safety measures at the new Olympic track in Cesana Pariol (Italy). „Thomas Schwab himself was one of the persons responsible for the inspection of the track. During the homologation, however, he did not voice any doubts about the safety of the track“, said Fendt, who is permanently in contact with the responsible people in Cesana via telephone. “Neither did Schwab raise any objections at the team captains´ meeting on Monday evening, added Fendt.

Fendt, also former World Champion and Olympic silver medalist, thinks that a possible reason for the numerous crashes might be the fact that training week and Viessmann World Cup fall in the same fortnight. „At new tracks, so far there was always a training week in the fall before the first race, which was staged in January or February. This way athletes could methodically develop driving skills on the track. Due to the fact that training week and World Cup are now held together, some athletes might put themselves under too much pressure and do not acquire enough skills at the track. Then they slide from the men´s start even though they do not have the track under control yet”, said Fendt.

In the meantime Latvia´s Maija Tiruma is already waiting for visits from her teammates. „She was never unconscious and neither had to be reanimated before she was taken to the hospital”, said race director Marie-Luise Rainer (Italy), who eye-witnessed the crash. Tiruma suffered bruises from her crash. A crash of a Korean athlete is not known in Cesana Pariol. Just like the FIL Group, Korea withdraw its athletes already on Sunday. Brazil´s Renato Mizuguchi, who was taken to hospital unconciuos after his crash will remain in a medically induced coma for four to five more days. According to information from the hospital he is no longer in a critical condition. 52 year-old Anne Abernathy (Virgin Islands) suffered a fracture of her collarbone.

Austria´s former World Champion in doubles Wolfgang Linger, crashed at the entry to curve 17 and suffered a complicated fracture of his left ankle and a fracture of his calfbone. Meanwhile the Tyrolian was operated on at the university hospital in Innsbruck.