Cesana (pps) The President of the International Luge Federation, FIL, Josef Fendt from Berchtesgaden, informed himself personally about the construction progress of the track for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin. On October 3rd and 4th the former World champion and 1976 Olympic runner-up visited Cesana in Italy, where the construction works on the artificial track for the combined bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions have started Whit Monday 2003.

Together with Walter Plaikner (Italy), Chairman of the Technical Committee within the FIL, and Hansjörg Trachsel (Switzerland), Vice-President of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (FIBT), Josef Fendt also met Elio Locatelli, Sports Management Director of the Organising Committee (TOROC). The construction works are well under way and right on schedule - this is the information of those responsible in Italy. Already in spring 2005 the FIL plans to organise a World Cup event on the first artificial track in Italy.

The ice labyrinth in Cesana will be the 13th artificial track world-wide - there are four tracks in Germany (Koenigssee, Oberhof, Winterberg, Altenberg), further four in Europe (Igls, La Plagne, Sigulda, Lillehammer), three in North America (Calgary, Park City and Lake Placid) as well as the artificial track in Nagano. An additional artificial track is planned to be build in Whistler Mountain for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.

The photo shows (from the left to the right): FIL President Josef Fendt, Elio Locatelli, Walter Plaikner and Hansjörg Trachsel.