St. Leonhard (pps) At their meetings in St. Leonhard near Salzburg (AUT), the Sport Commission and the Technical Commission Artificial Track of the International Luge Federation (FIL) issued a recommendation for the bid to host the 2013 FIL World Championships at the artificially refrigerated track in Whistler. In the upcoming winter, the „Whistler Sliding Center“ will be the venue of the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. The final decision will be made on the occasion of the 57th FIL Congress in Liberec (CZE) on June 19/20, 2009.
In the presence of the entire FIL Presidium headed by FIL President Josef Fendt, the Technical Commission discussed numerous issues including the new artificial track in Paramonovo, Russia, the new project in the future Olympic city Sochi (RUS) or standard measurements of new tracks (drop of start blocks, distance between start handles and beginning of time-keeping). The Sport Commission dealt with the event schedules of the next two seasons 2009/2010 and 2010/2011, the program of the 2012 Youth Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck and the rules for the second phase of the sprint competition that is currently being developed. The idea of upgrading the Team Relay and the Sprint Competition by including them in the World Cup was favored by the Sport Commission.
Among other issues, the two Natural Track Luge Commissions (Technical Affairs and Sport) worked out the 2009/2010 event schedules, discussed the strategy for natural track luge and the chances of being included in the program of the 2012 Youth Olympic Winter Games.
