Seven nations with medal ambitions
Whistler (pps) It was not so long ago that someone, faced with the undisputable dominance of German lugers in the ice labyrinths, posed the question, why the Team Relay? It seemed to be a kind of “pet event” of the International Luge Federation (FIL). Well, the answer came promptly: because in the Team Relay event there’s a guarantee that three different flags will be raised during the victory ceremony… The answer seems to have a certain logic.
But it is true. In the pre-Olympic season, five different nations actually achieved podium finishes in the four events of the Viessmann Team Relay World Cup presented by HÖRMANN. Even though Germany took the top spot at all World Cup stops in Igls (AUT), Altenberg (GER), Sigulda (LAT) and Koenigssee (GER), four nations, namely Italy, Russia, Canada and Austria, earned at least one medal.
These five nations, plus Latvia and the U.S.A., are the major medal contenders at the upcoming 44th FIL Luge World Championships in Whistler, Canada (February 1-2, 2013). They all hope that their national flags will be raised during the victory ceremony.
Even though Canada did not compete in Sigulda, they claimed two second-place results in Igls and Koenigssee, while Russia earned two third places. Austria finished in second position in Altenberg and Italy took second place in Sigulda. Latvia’s quartet diligently collected World Cup rankings points when they earned two fifth-place and two seventh-place results. The U.S. team recently claimed three consecutive fifth places.
At the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, the Team Relay event will be the fourth FIL discipline on the Olympic competition schedule which is clearly another reason for its popularity. The International Luge Federation (FIL), who made its debut on the Olympic stage in 1964, will celebrate their “50 Years Olympic Winter Games” in Sochi.
The FIL Team Relay moreover confirms a trend that was recently documented by a representative survey on behalf of the German sports agency SID (Sport-Informations-Dienst), conducted by the Nuremberg-based market research bureau “puls”. The type of event where men and women compete as a team is attractive to the majority – 75 percent to be precise – of people interested in sports in Germany, the survey revealed. Of course, good TV ratings on German TV are not disadvantageous, either. Transmissions of the Team Relay event regularly attract more than four million TV spectators in Germany.
This is why the Team Relay event is so popular - and not only among FIL officials.
