Berchtesgaden (pps) The Viessmann Luge World Cup celebrates its silver jubilee in the 2001-2002 Olympic winter. The 25th season of the competition series which was inaugurated in the 1977-78 winter, will start next Friday and Saturday on the 1988 Olympic track in Calgary. The absolute highlight and conclusion of the winter after the World Cup final in Winterberg/GER at the end of January are the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City in the US State of Utah (February 8-24).
The comeback of the International Three Track Tour is new on the competition calendar. As in the past, the three tracks are Koenigssee/GER – Igls/AUT – Oberhof/GER but the competitions are part of the Viessmann Luge World Cup. Compared to last year (DM 110,000) the International Luge Federation, FIL, has increased the total prize money considerably, now amounting to DM 121,800.
„We all may look back contentedly on a successful season marked by a high presence of our competitions in the print as well as the TV media”, FIL President Josef Fendt said in his annual report on the occasion of the 49th FIL Congress in Warsaw last summer.
With the TV broadcast of the women’s and doubles’ events from the Viessmann World Cup in Lake Placid/USA, the public German TV station ARD achieved a 21.5 per-cent rating (viewing figure: 2.7 million). The highest TV rating was recorded for the 27-minute delayed summary of the team event from the World Championships in Calgary on ARD with 27.3 per-cent. Fendt: „Our concept in this field is right.” As FIL Secretary General Svein Romstad stated in Warsaw, FIL once again increased its expenses considerably for its own TV production in the pre-Olympic season.
Title holders in the Viessmann Luge World Cup are Germany’s Olympic champion Silke Kraushaar in the women’s event, Italy’s Armin Zoeggeler in the men’s and Germany’s Steffen Skel with Steffen Woeller in the doubles.
ARD and ZDF broadcast from Calgary
Berchtesgaden (pps) The 2001-2002 Viessmann Luge World Cup continues with the excellent TV times from last year. In Germany, both public TV stations, ARD and ZDF, will show recorded broadcasts from the first event in Calgary. ZDF will rely on the expert luge TV commentator, Norbert Galeske, while ARD will be represented by the equally expert Peter Grube. ARD and ZDF will both broadcast from Calgary in their usual sports shows.
Olympic champion Jens Mueller and Niccum-McClain retired
Berchtesgaden (pps) Prior to the start of the Olympic season international luge was surprised by the retirement of one of its most decorated athletes: the 1988 Olympic champion, Germany’s Jens Mueller, retired from his active career due to health reasons. Mueller, one of the most successful lugers of all times with a total of five gold, three silver and five bronze medals achieved at Olympic Winter Games, World and European championships, will work for the Bobsleigh and Luge Federation for Germany, BSD, in the area of junior talents in the future.
The 2000 World champion of St. Moritz who gained an additional three European singles titles, won Olympic gold in Calgary in 1988 and ten years later at Nagano again Olympic bronze. Mueller was runner-up in the 1997 and 1999 overall Viessmann Luge World Cup. The Federal Army soldier achieved a total of eight individual World Cup victories.
The US doubles, Chris Niccum-Matt McClain have also retired. They can boast three World Cup victories (Lillehammer 1996-97, Igls and Sigulda/both 1998-99) in their career.
Prize money increased for the Olympic winter
Berchtesgaden (pps) The International Luge Federation, FIL, has increased the total prize money for the Viessmann Luge World Cup from DM 110,000 to DM 121,800 for the Olympic winter. All seven events have a prize money of more than DM 10,000 in the three disciplines, women’s and men’s singles and the doubles. The women’s and men’s winners can cash DM 1,500 each, the doubles DM 2,000.
The women’s and men’s winners of the overall Viessmann World Cup will get DM 6,500 each, the winning doubles DM 7,500. The total prize money put up by FIL for the overall World Cup amounts to more than DM 50,000. The athletes can gain additional prize money at the Challenge Cup.
The exact schedule for Calgary
Calgary (pps) As usual in the past few years, the women’s singles and the doubles competitions will be held first at the start of the 2001-2002 Viessmann Luge World Cup in Calgary on Friday. The decision in the men’s singles event will follow on Saturday.
Friday, November 9, 2001 - 17.30 hrs local time or 1.30 hrs CET - women and doubles
Saturday, November 10,2001 - 17.30 hrs local time or 1.30 hrs CET - men
Contact in Calgary
Canadian Luge Association (CLA), Canada Olympic Park, 88 Canada Olympic Road S.W. Calgary AB, T3B 5R5, Canada, tel.: +1-403–247 9884, fax: +1-403–247 5497
World Champions the last winners in Calgary
Calgary (pps) The current World champions are the winners of the last competitions in Calgary. At the 2001 World Championships on the 1988 Olympic track at the conclusion of last season, the titles went to Germany’s Sylke Otto and Andre Florschuetz-Torsten Wustlich and to Italy’s Armin Zoeggeler.
The 2001-2002 competition calendar
Berchtesgaden (pps) The Viessmann Luge World Cup calendar consists of seven events in the Olympic Winter. Here a survey:
1. Viessmann World Cup - Calgary/ CAN - November 9-10, 2001
2. Viessmann World Cup - Lake Placid/ USA - November 24-25, 2001
3. Viessmann World Cup - Koenigssee/ GER - December 7-8, 2001
4. Viessmann World Cup - Igls/ AUT - December 11-12, 2001
5. Viessmann World Cup - Oberhof/ GER - December 15-16, 2001
6. Viessmann World Cup - Sigulda/ LAT - January 19-20, 2002
7. Viessmann World Cup - Winterberg/ GER - January 26-27, 2002
Olympic Winter Games - Salt Lake City/ USA - Luge competitions - February 11-17, 2002
The 2000-2001 World Cup champions
Women
1. Silke Kraushaar/ GER
2. Sylke Otto/ GER
3. Angelika Neuner/ AUT
Men
1. Armin Zöggeler/ ITA
2. Georg Hackl/ GER
3. Markus Prock/ AUT
Doubles
1. Steffen Skel/Steffen Wöller/ GER
2. Andre Florschütz/Torsten Wustlich / GER
3. Patric Leitner/Alexander Resch/ GER
The 2000/2001 World Champions
Women
1. Sylke Otto/ GER
2. Silke Kraushaar/ GER
3. Barbara Niedernhuber/ GER
Men
1. Armin Zöggeler/ ITA
2. Georg Hackl/ GER
3. Markus Prock/ AUT
Doubles
1. Andre Florschütz/Torsten Wustlich/ GER
2. Steffen Skel/Steffen Wöller/ GER
3. Tobias Schiegl/Markus Schiegl/ AUT
