Paramonovo (pps) While the Russians have long since established themselves in the international luge elite with such successful athletes as 2006 Olympic silver medallist Albert Demchenko and 2010 European champion Tatiana Ivanova, the great sporting nation will make a World debut in another area on the upcoming weekend. Russia will not only host its first Viessmann Luge World Cup event at Paramonovo but also the first ever World Cup of the International Luge Federation, FIL. Russia’s first artificially-iced track was inaugurated on March 10, 2008, in a ceremony attended by the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and FIL President Josef Fendt. The homologation of the track took place in December 2009. Paramonovo is the 21st luge track to host a Viessmann World Cup event. Including the last World Cup at Altenberg, Germany, in mid-January, a total of 226 World Cup events have taken place in altogether 14 different countries on three continents. The planning group of Lomonosov University Moscow, headed by Dr. Alexander Shakhnazarov and Dr. Alexander Ostroumonov, has been responsible for the facility in Paramonovo, situated about 80 kilometres away from Moscow. According to an information by the Russian Federation, the costs for the new facility amount to a comparatively low price of 45 million US dollar. Since the natural difference in altitude amounts to only 78 metres, the first 300 metres of the track are mounted on steel pillars up to 27 metres high. Similar to Sigulda, the start is located in a tower. The track comprises 19 curves (nine right and ten left curves) and a maximum downhill grade of 15 percent. High speeds were calculated at a maximum of 135 kilometres per hour. The competition lengths are 1,261m (women singles and doubles) and 1,410m (men singles). The track’s special feature is its innovative cooling system. Those responsible in Paramonovo decided – not least because of Russia’s strict laws which do not allow ammonia-based outdoor cooling systems – on using an ammonia CO² cascade system with three cooling circuits.