Munich (pps) A great honor was bestowed upon Josef Fendt, the President of the International Luge Federation (FIL) in Munich on his 61st birthday: Next to four other public figures, Fendt received the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany from the hands of Siegfried Schneider, the Bavarian State Minister for Education and Culture. The decoration had been awarded by Horst Köhler, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, in recognition of his merits for the Federal Republic of Germany. „Through your voluntary work, you have made great contributions to society”, said State Minister Schneider.

A press release by the Bavarian State Ministry for Education and Culture reads: „As German President of an Olympic world federation, Josef Fendt (Berchtesgaden) has rendered outstanding services to the sport of luge and to the reputation of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1970 and 1974, he became Luge World Champion himself. From 1980 to 1984 Fendt acted as honorary sport manager for the German Bobsleigh and Luge Federation; he still is a Presidium member of this federation to this day. In 1985, Josef Fendt became Vice-President of the Fédération International de Luge de Course (FIL) before he was elected as the federation’s President in 1994. He has also committed himself to establishing a solid financial basis for the international sport of luge.“