Igls (pps) The upcoming luge season will set off exactly where the Olympic season ended: The 30th Viessmann Luge World Cup season will be openend on the artificially-iced Olympic track of the 2006 Torino Winter Games at Cesana Pariol on November 18-19.

So far, 185 events on 19 different tracks have been carried out. And now, for the first time in the history of the International Luge Federation, FIL, a further nine events on three continents are on the programme. Additionally, four SUZUKI Challenge Cup events will be carried out. The undisputed season’s highlight are the World Championships on the modernized Olympic track at Innsbruck-Igls on February 2-4, 2007.

A further novelty is a relay event, that will be put to the test at Koenigssee on January 6-7, 2007 and Winterberg on February 10-11, 2007. The athletes of each team (doubles, women, men) will start right after each other. The second starter is allowed to take off only when the first sled has activated a special contact at the finish. This also applies to the third sled. For each team the clock is running right from the start of the first sled until the last luger of the team has reached the finish. “We have thus created a genuine team competition and not only an addition of individual results”, FIL President Josef Fendt explained during the presentation of the new event at the traditional FIL Media Day in Igls. Irrespective of this novelty, the FIL is still hoping to include the present team event, for 15 years now integral part of World Championships, at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. A decision will probably be reached this year.

The first medals of the new World Cup season will be awarded at Cesana Pariol. All medal winners of the 2006 Winter Games will be present, first of all Olympic champions Sylke Otto (Germany), Armin Zoeggeler (Italy) and Andreas Linger-Wolfgang Linger (Austria).

Some renowned lugers have retired after the 2006 Olympic Games, among them Germany’s Georg Hackl, the most successful luger of all times who captured three Olympic gold and a total of 35 medals at Olympic Games, World and European Championships, his team colleague Barbara Niedernhuber, who achieved two Olympic silver medals, as well as Austria’s Markus Kleinheinz (2002-03 overall World Cup champion) and Rainer Margreiter (2003 World bronze medallist). Anastasia Antonova-Oberstolz (Italy) is pregnant and will not compete this season.

Schedule of the 1st Viessmann Luge World Cup at Cesana Pariol (CET)

Saturday, November 18, 2006
08:45 hrs + 10:00 hrs 1st and 2nd heat women
11:30 hrs + 12:30 hrs 1st and 2nd heat doubles

Sunday, November 19, 2006
10:30 hrs + 12:30 hrs 1st and 2nd heat men