Preview 6th EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup in Altenberg (GER) - dress rehearsal for 2024 Luge World Championships
Altenberg (FIL/31.01.2023) After the World Championships is before the World Championships: Next weekend, the FIL EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup will start into the second half of the season at SachsenEnergie-Eiskanal in Altenberg. In addition to the highly desired World Cup points, many of the young luge athletes also want to gain valuable competition experience on the technically demanding track. For all athletes and the entire team of Jens Morgenstern, head of the OC (organizing committee), the World Cup will be a dress rehearsal for next year's FIL World Championships, which takes place in the traditional ice track from January 22 to 28, 2023.
144 athletes from 20 nations will compete in Altenberg. 41 women's and 33 men's singles as well as 14 women's and 21 men's doubles have registered. In addition to the World Cup races, the fourth of six team relays of the EBERSPÄCHER Team Relay World Cup presented by BMW will be on the program on Sunday. Ten team relays will start.
Dajana Eitberger, Dominik Fischnaller, Vötter/Oberhofer and Wendl/Arlt lead in the overall World Cup
After seven of twelve World Cup races, the fight for the overall World Cup remains exciting. Sprint World Champion Dajana Eitberger and World silver medalist in doubles Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt (all Germany) as well as Italy’s Dominik Fischnaller and World Championship’s bronze medalist in women’s doubles Andrea Vötter/Marion Oberhofer are currently leading the World Cup standings.
Dajana Eitberger, Sprint World Champion and bronze medalist in Oberhof, has always been on the podium in the last four World Cups, twice at the top. In the men’s race, Dominik Fischnaller’s consistency ensures that he leads the ranking. He has already been on the podium five times this season. However, at the European Championships in Sigulda and most recently at the World Championships in Oberhof, the South Tyrolean came away empty-handed. In the men’s doubles Olympic Champions Wendl/Arlt are again in the usual head-to-head race with the World Champions and teammates Toni Eggert/Sascha Benecken. In the women’s doubles, Italy’s Andrea Vötter/Marion Oberhofer have already made it to the podium six times and celebrated a victory three times. World Champions Jessica Degenhardt/Cheyenne Rosenthal have also finished on the podium six times, although they have yet to win a World Cup this season.
World Cup standings (in short):
Women’s singles:
1) Dajana Eitberger (GER), 512
2) Julia Taubitz (GER), 507
3) Madeleine Egle (AUT), 425
Men‘s singles:
1) Dominik Fischnaller (ITA), 520
2) Felix Loch (GER), 426
3) Kristers Aparjods (LAT), 396
Women’s doubles:
1) Andrea Vötter/Marion Oberhofer (ITA), 600
2) Selina Egle/Lara Kipp (AUT), 545
3) Jessica Degenhardt/Cheyenne Rosenthal (GER), 486
Men’s doubles:
1) Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt (GER), 529
2) Toni Eggert/Sascha Benecken (GER), 515
3) Juri Gatt/Riccardo Schöpf (AUT), 460
An overview of the Overall World Cup standings can be found here: https://www.fil-luge.org/de/gesamtstaende?event_season_id=30
Press Conference for the 6th EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup
Altenberg’s Press officer Uta Schirmer invites all interested press representatives to a press conference, which takes place on Thursday, February 2, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in the “Panoramabaude” at the SachsenEnergie-Eiskanal Altenberg. Among others, Julia Taubitz, Timon Grancagnolo, Felix Loch, Jessica Degenhardt & Cheyenne Rosenthal, Toni Eggert & Sascha Benecken, Tobias Wendl & Tobias Arlt as well as national coach Norbert Loch are requested as interview partners and Jens Morgenstern, Managing Director Wintersport Altenberg (Osterzgebirge) GmbH and OC Head of the World Cups. Due to the ongoing track operation, prior registration is requested. Please register for the press conference by February 1, 2023, 4:00 p.m. at the latest either by e-mail to presse@wia-altenberg.de or by phone at +49 176 1043 4366.
40th season at the SachsenEnergie-Eiskanal
The SachsenEnergie-Eiskanal Altenberg started the season with an anniversary at the beginning of October 2022: For the 40th time, the racing luge and bobsleigh track in Altenberg's Kohlgrund was iced. It is also the 40th ice season of ice master Ralf “Hans” Mende, who has been there since the beginning. The SachsenEnergie ice track in Altenberg is a traditional venue for international and national competitions in luge, bobsleigh and skeleton. The first national competitions were held here in the late fall of 1986, still under construction site conditions, before homologation by the world luge federations FIBT (now IBSF) and FIL took place in 1987 and the first international bobsleigh race was held. Since 1991, Altenberg has hosted eight World Championships (1991 bobsleigh, 1996 luge, 1998 skeleton, 2000 bobsleigh, 2008 bobsleigh & skeleton, 2012 luge, 2020 bobsleigh & skeleton, 2021 bobsleigh & skeleton) as well as numerous Junior World Championships, World Cups and European Championships. In 2024, Altenberg will once again host the FIL Luge World Championships.
Saxon cabinet approves over 2.6 million in funding for ice track in Altenberg
To ensure that the ice track continues to meet international standards with regard to the 2024 Luge World Championships, the Free State of Saxony is supporting planned renovation and construction measures with up to 2.61 million Euros. The cabinet decided this in mid-December 2022. “The Altenberg luge and bobsleigh track and our successful Saxon luge athletes are ambassadors for our Free State throughout the world. With this funding, we are sending a clear signal to further strengthen Altenberg as a winter sports location,” explained Saxony's Sports Minister Armin Schuster.
The upcoming renovation and construction measures include, among other things, the expansion of the weigh house finish building. Recreation areas for athletes, the competition jury and the technical control will be accommodated there, as well as sanitary facilities for athletes and visitors. In addition, the track body up to curve three is to be covered over a length of about 30 meters in the immediate women's luge start area. There are also plans to renovate and extend the existing press building.
550 school children from all over Saxony expected to attend “Day of the Schools”
For the Nations Cup on Friday, February 3, there will be a “Day of Schools”, for which about 550 school children from all over Saxony have registered. They will experience the races live on site as part of a class excursion, cheer on the lugers vigorously in the SachsenEnergie ice track and can collect autographs from their sporting idols. In addition, the children have the opportunity to try out two sports at the federal sports base in Altenberg: laser biathlon and luge on a "wobbly sled" on which they have to keep their balance.
Schedule & TV coverage
Local start time (=CET/MEZ)
Freitag, 03. 02. 2023
09:00 FIL Nationscup
14:30 Training seeded group
Saturday, 04. 02. 2023
09:00 Men’s doubles, 1st run
09:45 Women’s doubles, 1st run
10:40 Men’s doubles, 2nd run
11:25 Women’s doubles, 2nd run
12:15 Women, 1st run
13:45 Women, 2nd run
Sunday, 05. 02. 2023
10:20 Men, 1st run
11:50 Men, 2nd run
13:45 Team Relay
Subject to change without notice!
Link for Live TV coverage and FIL-Media Guide – information to all athletes:
https://www.fil-luge.org/de/multimedia
FIL-Studio: From 30 minutes before and after all races you will always find live interviews with the winners and background information about the races live in the FIL-Studio on our YouTube channel: FIL Luge - YouTube
