Premiere for the women’s doubles in the Youth A class

Park City (RWH) Eight young women – all of whom are aged 18 or under – are currently preparing to open a new chapter in the International Luge Federation’s (FIL) 60+ year history. Four pairs of athletes are registered to compete in the inaugural women’s doubles race as part of the Junior World Cup in Park City, Utah (USA). The race is scheduled for 3 p.m. local time on 5 December 2018 and will see two Canadian teams, one team from the US and one team from the Czech Republic take to the starting line.

The only sleds permitted for use during the race are those built by the company Kästle at the FIL’s request. The renowned ski manufacturer recently made a name for itself in a new segment by producing the sleds for the Austrian luge team. The FIL loaned out the sleds free-of-charge to any interested national luge associations, with 17 of its members taking it up on the offer.

Coinciding almost exactly with the discipline’s début on the track used for the 2002 Olympics, Germany’s junior female luge athletes will be battling it out in three qualifying events in Altenberg, Königssee and Winterberg in an attempt be selected as one of two duos to attend the International Training Week in January and the Junior World Cup on the natural track in St. Moritz (SUI).

All of this action is leading up to the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne in 2020, when the women’s doubles will be part of the programme for the very first time. If the Olympic test run in St. Moritz (which will be hosting the YOG races for luge, bobsleigh and skeleton) is a success, not much more will stand in the way of the future of the women’s doubles event at the Olympics.