Köln (pps) The luge track in Zwickau has been awarded a “Special Distinction” in connection with the 2005 IOC/IAKS awards. As the only international architecture competition for sports and leisure facilities, this award is offered by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS). Out of 93 participants, the jury awarded eight gold, seven silver, and seven bronze medals as well as eleven “Special Distinctions”. One of them went to the plastic track of the sports club “Eisenbahnersportverein Lokomotive Zwickau” headed by Karl Zenker.

„Zwickau’s luge track is an outstanding example of how a sports club with extremely limited financial means but with incredibly enthusiastic volunteers and unpaid effort can create and modernize a competitive training and race track”, the jury’s verdict reads. The track is composed of prefabricated plastic parts. It was built from 1975 to 1979 and modernized after 25 years of intensive use with total construction costs amounting to € 90,000.-. With over 30,000 runs per year, the luge track, which can be used all-year round, is one of the world’s most frequently used luge tracks.