Berchtesgaden (pps) Sochi in mind - but Whistler in sight: the upcoming 44th World Championships of the International Luge Federation (FIL) on the 2010 Olympic track in Whistler are the biggest stepping stones on the way to the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Russia in 2014. In the run-up to the Worlds, the “Whistler Sliding Center” has worked especially hard. The organizers have planned a grand opening ceremony including fireworks, and another important element has just been completed. “There will be a new start height for the women’s singles, doubles and Team Relay events,” explained Josef Fendt of Berchtesgaden, President of the International Luge Federation. “The cooperation during the planning stage between the FIL and the track operators was excellent,” Fendt added. Canada’s luge team did not compete at the Viessmann Luge World Cup in Sigulda but practiced, instead, on the artificially iced track in the Blackcomb Mountains. “The new start height has stood the test,” announced Canada’s head coach Wolfgang Staudinger. And Alex Gough, who claimed the first-ever World Championship medal for Canada in the women’s singles at the 2011 Worlds when she won bronze, added: “I hope that the new start height will guarantee a certain level of equal opportunities for all.” The FIL intends to increase the attraction of the World Championships: “FIL offers prize money of more than 30,000 Euro (equivalent of 39,000 USD) at the Worlds,” explained FIL President Josef Fendt. Additionally, the “U23 Worlds” are now an integral part of the FIL regulations. Fendt: “Because of the positive reactions of the member federations to the ‘U23 Worlds’ we will include this event format within our annual FIL World Championships.”