Guatemala City (pps). Luge is now one of seven core sports at Olympic Winter Games. This was decided by the 119th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Guatemala City. With this, the sport of luge, which has been part of Olympic Winter Games since Innsbruck 1964, can only be excluded from the Olympic program for serious reasons. According to IOC President Jacques Rogge, possible reasons could be mismanagement or corruption, nonconformance with the code of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) or a drastically decreasing number of active nations in the sport.

Before, the IOC Session had simplified the voting process for the Olympic program. In a bloc vote, the delegates in Guatemala City confirmed seven core sports for the Winter Games in Sochi. Besides luge, they are biathlon, bob/skeleton, curling, ice hockey, speed skating/ figure skating as well as the Nordic and alpine skiing disciplines, which are considered as one sport. For the inclusion of new sports, only a simple majority instead of a two-thirds-majority is required according to the new rules. However, after only one Olympic participation new sports can be excluded again with a simple majority of the IOC general assembly.