(FIL) - FIL President Josef Fendt was informed today in a letter by IOC President Jacques Rogge that the International Olympic Committee decided against the inclusion of natural track luge and team competition artificial track in the program of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin.

President Fendt was very surprised by the way this decision was made by the IOC Executive Board yesterday in Lausanne/ Switzerland.

On Tuesday, one day before the decision was made, FIL President Fendt was told by IOC President Jacques Rogge that the final decision would not be reached before November; this was also in accordance with what the IOC had planned and with information received in the past.

That same day, Fendt received a letter from Jacques Rogge, informing him that the „Olympic Programme Commission“, which is responsible for reviewing and analysing the program of sports, disciplines and events, had recommended the IOC Executive Board not to include the two sports/ disciplines applied for by the FIL in the program of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin. In the same letter, Jacques Rogge offered Josef Fendt to discuss this issue with him.

Josef Fendt: „I am very surprised about how this was handled. This does not correspond to what we were told and promised for months. I will also write a letter to IOC President Jacques Rogge and let him know how disappointed I am“.

August 29, 2002