Koenigssee (pps) The première of the relay competition, carried out on the artificially iced track in Koenigssee on the first weekend in January, has been a great success. “That’s an excellent idea. For the first time we have a team competition that deserves this name. This format is really attractive for athletes, spectators and the media. It’s the future”, concluded Tobias Schiegl (Austria), not only two-time World champion in the doubles but also 1996, 1997 and 1999 World champion in the previous team competition.

The spectators cheered loudly whenever a slider touched the pressure contact so that the next starter was allowed to take off. “That was the funniest race of my life”, explained Alexander Resch, member of the German relay team. Regan Lauscher, who managed a third place with team Canada behind Germany and Austria, commented: “Obviously it’s not only fun for the athletes but for the spectators as well. That’s the future.”

David Moeller of Germany, 2004 World champion in the men’s single, fully agrees: “It’s a great innovation by the International Luge Federation”. FIL President Josef Fendt was pleased with the unexpected praise. “It’s not often we are praised by athletes”, the managing director of the municipality of Berchtesgaden said. “International federations are often accused of not being innovative. I think that we have proved quite the opposite.” In all likelihood, the relay competition to be carried out again in Winterberg, will become an integral part of the programme in the upcoming season, Josef Fendt further explained. The FIL long- term objective is its inclusion in the programme of Olympic Winter Games.

The important benchmarks of the new format have already been set, such as, for instance, the same start for all sleds or the electronic pressure contact at the finish. Josef Fendt: “Now we just need to take care of some odds and ends.” In order to create even more suspense, the starting order in Winterberg (February 9, 2007 at 12:30 hrs) will be reversed to the Koenigssee results. This is what Germany’s national coach Thomas Schwab, one of the “founding fathers” of the relay competition, announced. Visual and perhaps acoustic improvements of the pressure contact at the finish are also possible.

At the Worlds in Igls (February 2-4, 2007) the championship title in the team competition will be awarded according to the “old” system since it has not been possible to change the programme at such short notice. Anyway – cheers to the relay competition!