Wolfgang Staudinger now head coach of Korea

Seoul (FIL) The Korean Luge Federation (KLF) has hired the former head coach of the Canadian team, Wolfgang Staudinger. KLF President and FIL Vice President for Asia Jieun Park said: "The KLF is very happy to have Wolfgang Staudinger on the team. With his 33 years of coaching career, he is a great asset to the team." She added: "Korea is not only focusing on the national team, but also on our youth team athletes who will compete in the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon in two years' time." 

While Wolfgang Staudinger will personally take care mainly of the national team, Staudinger, a Canadian citizen born in Germany, is also expected to set up strategic youth training to build a young Korean team for the 2024 Youth Olympic Games and organise master plans for the upcoming 2026 Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina.

Wolfgang Staudinger is delighted: "I feel very honoured and thank KLF for the confidence. I am very much looking forward to the new challenge as head coach in a not so traditional luge nation with great potential. I like the country, the Korean culture and the people and I want to strengthen the sport of luge in Asia with the attractive new luge tracks. It makes me happy to build up the young luge team for the next Olympic Winter Games and Youth Games. The Korean federation wants to make a difference and I want to do the same. In this respect, we fit together very well".

It was only after the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games that the 58-year-old native of Berchtesgaden, Germany, Wolfgang Staudinger, who led Canada's lugers to medals at Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cups and Youth Olympic Games, ended his tenure as head coach of the Canadian luge team after 15 years. 

Staudinger won an Olympic bronze medal in doubles luge with Thomas Schwab in 1988. The Canadian by choice has lived in Calgary with his family for many years. He is married to former luge athlete Marie-Claude Doyon, who finished seventh at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Their daughter Rebecca is 23 years old.