Thank you Peter Grube - 35 years of luge reporter and Olympic commentator at ARD German TV

St. Moritz (FIL) Peter Grube first worked for WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk Fernsehen) at the luge event in Winterberg in 1987. He is probably the world record holder of reporters - has accompanied most of the World Cup victories of German athletes on ARD. Among others, during the series of 105 World Cup victories of German women. Grube has been a reporter at all summer and winter games since the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and then at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano. For the last time, Grube will be heard as a commentator at the Olympic luge competitions in Beijing.

At the finals of the EBERSPÄCHER World Cup in St. Moritz, FIL President Einars Fogelis and Honorary President Josef Fendt bid farewell to the long-time live reporter of ARD Peter Grube. Grube was very happy to receive a voucher for a weekend and a Doubles luge ride on the olympic track in Innsbruck: "I have already competed in the Singles at the journalists' race at Königssee, but now to be able to race through the Igls Eiskanal on a doubles sled, I am especially looking forward to that".

Grube was born on 22 April 1958 in Aachen (GER). He came to journalism through a relative, Bruno Dechamps, who was editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. During his studies in Münster, he worked as a freelancer for the Westfälische Nachrichten and later as a trainee for WDR television in the sports department. He came to the sport of luge as an assistant to Helmuth G. Müller, who was the ARD luge reporter at the end of the 1980s. Grube became a story-maker in luge and succeeded Eberhard Stanjek from BR (Bayerischer Rundfunk) as ARD's live bobsleigh reporter. In 2000, Peter Grube switched to luge as a live reporter.

In 2005, the Bobsleigh and Luge Association for Germany (BSD) awarded Grube the "Richard Hartmann Prize" for special reporting. In 2008, Peter Grube received the bronze medal of honour from the International Luge Federation, FIL, in recognition of his many luge broadcasts.

Grube is married, has three children and has been the proud grandfather of his first grandchild "Carl" since May 2021: "I am proud of my family and I will certainly not be bored in my retirement. It was a fantastic time in luge. I met a lot of interesting, great people who are also worth talking about. I've always tried to set myself up internationally and talk to as many nations as possible and find out about them."

After the Beijing Winter Olympics, Peter Grube will hand over the mic to his successor Thomas Kunze, sports reporter at MDR: "I want to give my successor the chance to prepare for the Winter Olympics in the next four years," says sports commentator Grube.

Peter Grube will remain connected to sport and will certainly spend a not inconsiderable part of his free time on improving his handicap, after having discovered golf for himself a few years ago.

The International Luge Federation FIL expresses its sincere thanks for his many years of commitment to luge and wishes him all the best for the future!

photo: Tilo Weiskopf / ARD