Cesana Pariol
Encyclopedia
Luge
A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
and skeleton
Skeleton (sport)
Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
during the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The track, built for the games, is located in Cesana
Cesana Torinese
Cesana Torinese is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km west of Turin, on the border with France.-External links:*...
. The venue holds approximately 7,130 spectators, of whom 3,624 are seated.
Construction details
The track is constructed with about 54 miles (87 km) of ammoniaAmmonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
pipes to help form ice on the track for proper sliding. Numerous sensors located along the track ensure that the ice's thickness is kept between 5 and 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) to keep the track properly smooth during competitions.
History
During constructionConstruction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
of the track prior to the 2006 games, there was concern that the track would be completed in time for homologation
Homologation
Homologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
. A minor archaeological find (Roman ruins) during construction slowed progress until the remains were excavated (near the current Turn 11).
The track was completed in late 2004. In January 2005, the FIBT and FIL held their homologation events at the track. The FIBT had no issue when they ran their events during the weekend of January 21–23, 2005. The following week, the FIL ran their events, and had several crashes. Included in the crashes were Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
's Wolfgang Linger
Wolfgang Linger
Wolfgang Linger is an Austrian luger who has competed internationally since 2000. As young children, he and his older brother Andreas learned to luge on a former Olympic luge track, and at age 14 began competing as a doubles team for the first time...
(broken ankle and calfbone), Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
's Renato Mizoguchi
Renato Mizoguchi
Renato Mizoguchi is a Brazillian luger who competed from 2001 to 2005. He is best known for his severe injuries suffered during the homologation process of Cesana Pariol, the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, in January 2005...
(medically-induced coma), and the U.S. Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
' Anne Abernathy
Anne Abernathy
Anne Abernathy is a luge athlete from the United States Virgin Islands and is the oldest female athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics. The 2006 Winter Olympics were her sixth. Despite her age, she is a consistent competitor with frequent World Cup podium finishes, and she is consistently...
(collarbone). During the summer of 2005, discussions were held among TOROC (the organizer of the 2006 Games), FIBT President Robert H. Storey
Robert H. Storey
Robert H. Storey is a Canadian bobsledder who competed from the mid 1960s to the early 1970s who later became a businessman and chairman to two communication companies in Canada...
(Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
), and FIL President Josef Fendt
Josef Fendt
Josef Fendt is the current president of the Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course . He was a West German-German luger who competed from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s...
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) about refitting the track for safety reasons. An agreement was reached by all three, and turns 16 through 18 were modified as such. The track was finally modified in late 2005 in time for homologation. Test runs done by Italy's Armin Zöggeler
Armin Zöggeler
Armin Zöggeler is a luger and double Olympic champion who is an Italian national. He is one of the most successful men in the sport, nicknamed Il Cannibale , for his notable series of victories, or The Iceblood Champion, for his always cold, rational approach to the races.Zöggeler was born in...
in late October 2005 led to the track being homologated on October 31, 2005 after it had been approved by former German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
national team coach Josef Lenz
Josef Lenz
Josef "Sepp" Lenz is a West German luger who competed in the 1960s. He won the gold medal in the men's singles event at the 1962 FIL European Luge championships in Weissenbach, Austria....
and FIL track commission chair Klaus Bonsack
Klaus Bonsack
Klaus Bonsack is an East German former luger who competed during the 1960s and early 1970s.He was born in Waltershausen, Thuringia....
.
Cesana Pariol is now part of the complex called Torino Olympic Park
Torino Olympic Park
Torino Olympic Park is the park that was created to manage all of the facilities used for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy and facilities surrounding the Turin region....
. Post-Olympic usage for the tracks includes bobsleigh and luge rides for the public.
In October 2009, problems with early refrigeration of the track led the Bob- und Schlittenverband für Deutschland
Bob- und Schlittenverband für Deutschland
Bob- und Schlittenverband für Deutschland e.V. is the official federation for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton in Germany...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to lend support of short-order auxiliary services for foreign teams on such short notice. Starting 16 October, Italy and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's teams trained at the track in Winterberg
Winterberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The Winterberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in Winterberg, Germany. It is the only track of its kind in the world with a turn that has corporate sponsorship with turn seven being sponsored by Veltins, a German brewery who has its headquarters...
while Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
's team trained at Königssee
Königssee bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The Königssee bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton located in Schönau am Königsee, Germany. It is located near Königssee...
's track.
Statistics
| Sport | Length of track (meters) | Number of turns |
|---|---|---|
| Bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge - men's singles | 1435 | 19 (11 left and 8 right) |
| Luge - women's singles and men's doubles | 1233 | 17 (9 left and 8 right) |
The venue includes a vertical drop of 114 meters from start to finish.
| Turn Number | Name | Reason named |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Champlas | Local town near the track. |
| 2. | Gancio | Italian for "Hook" |
| 3. | Il Muro | Italian for "The Wall Wall A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air... ". Women's singles and men's double luge Luge A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge... have their start house after this turn. |
| 4., 5. | Gemelli | Italian for "Twins TWINS Two Wide-Angle Imaging Neutral-Atom Spectrometers are a pair of NASA instruments aboard two United States National Reconnaissance Office satellites in Molniya orbits. TWINS was designed to provide stereo images of the Earth's ring current. The first instrument, TWINS-1, was launched aboard USA-184... ". |
| 6., 7., 8. | Toro | Italian for "Bull Bull Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation... ". Also for the toroid Toroid Toroid may refer to*Toroid , a doughnut-like solid whose surface is a torus.*Toroidal inductors and transformers which have wire windings on circular ring shaped magnetic cores.*Vortex ring, a toroidal flow in fluid mechanics.... or torus Torus In geometry, a torus is a surface of revolution generated by revolving a circle in three dimensional space about an axis coplanar with the circle... shape of these three turns. It is also an Omega Omega Omega is the 24th and last letter of the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system, it has a value of 800. The word literally means "great O" , as opposed to omicron, which means "little O"... -shaped curve. |
| 9. | Cesana Cesana Torinese Cesana Torinese is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km west of Turin, on the border with France.-External links:*... |
The comune Comune In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:... where the track is located. |
| 10. | Nino Bibbia Nino Bibbia Nino Bibbia , a fruit and vegetable merchant, was an Italian skeleton racer and bobsledder who competed in the late 1940s. He won the gold medal in the men's skeleton event at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz... |
1948 Winter Olympics 1948 Winter Olympics The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936... gold medalist in skeleton Skeleton at the 1948 Winter Olympics Medals awarded for the skeleton discipline at the 1948 Winter Olympics held in St Moritz. In many locations the sport was referred to as tobogganing during these and the 1928 Games... at St. Moritz St. Moritz St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden... . Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... 's first gold medalist in bobsled, luge, or skeleton, and its first-ever Winter Olympic medalist. |
| 11. | Museo | Italian for "Museum Museum A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities... ". An archeological find was found near this turn during track construction. |
| 12., 13. | Chicane Chicane A chicane is an artificial feature creating extra turns in a road, used in motor racing and on city streets to slow cars to lower speeds.- Motor Racing :... |
Shape of these curves. |
| 14. | Chaberton | After the Chaberton Mountains that the inside of this curve faces. |
| 15. | Lavatrice | Italian for "Washing machine Washing machine A washing machine is a machine designed to wash laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets... " |
| 16. | Compressione | Italian for "Compression". From the compressive forces put upon the body during the maneuvering of the sled through the turn. |
| 17. | Paul Hildgartner Paul Hildgartner Paul Hildgartner is an Italian of German descent former luger who competed from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. Competing in five Winter Olympics, he earned two gold medals and one silver medal for his efforts... |
Formerly "Senza Nome" ("Without Name" in ). Named for luger who won four Winter Olympic, five world championship, and six European championship medals between 1971 and 1988. Among first inductees in FIL Hall of Fame in 2004. |
| 18. | Pariol | The village in Cesana where the track is located. |
| 19. | Eugenio Monti Eugenio Monti Eugenio Monti was an Italian bobsledder. He is one of the most successful athletes in the history of this sport, with ten World championship medals and 6 Olympic medals, but is known also for an act of sportsmanship during the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria that made him the first... |
Six-time Olympic Olympic Games The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate... medalist and 10-time bobsled World Champion FIBT World Championships The FIBT World Championships, part of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing , have taken place on an annual basis in non-Winter Olympic years since 1930. A two-man event was included in 1931 with a combined championship occurring in 1947... medalist from 1957 FIBT World Championships 1957 The FIBT World Championships 1957 took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland for the record eighth time. The Swiss city had hosted the event previously in 1931 , 1935 , 1937 , 1938 , 1939 , 1947, and 1955... to 1968 Bobsleigh at the 1968 Winter Olympics -Two-man:There was a tie for first place. Despite initially ruling that both teams would be awarded the gold medals, the judges awarded the sole gold to the Italian team based on their fastest single heat time... . |
| Sport | Record | Nation - athlete(s) | Date | Time (seconds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobsleigh - two-man | Start | - Beat Hefti Beat Hefti Beat Hefti is a Swiss bobsledder who has competed since the late 1990s. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won a total of three bronze medals .... & Thomas Lamparter Thomas Lamparter Thomas Lamparter is a Swiss bobsledder who has competed since 2002. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won a bronze medal in the four-man event at Turin in 2006.... |
5 December 2009 | 4.72 |
| Luge - men's singles | Start | David Möller David Möller David Möller is a German luger who has competed since 2001. He won six medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with four golds , one silver , and one bronze Möller also won four medals at the FIL European Luge Championships with one gold , one silver... - |
29 January 2010 | 2.457 |
| Luge - men's singles | Track | Albert Demtschenko Albert Demtschenko Albert Demtschenko is a Russian luger who has competed since 1992. A six-time Winter Olympian, he finally won his first medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin with a silver in the men's singles event... - |
12 February 2006 | 51.396 |
| Luge - women's singles | Start | Silke Kraushaar Silke Kraushaar Silke Kraushaar-Pielach is a German luger who competed from 1995 to 2008... - |
14 February 2006 | 4.320 |
| Luge - women's singles | Track | Natalie Geisenberger Natalie Geisenberger Natalie Geisenberger is a German luger. She won a bronze medal in the women's singles event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.... - |
31 January 2010 | 46.817 |
| Luge - men's doubles | Start | - Tobias Wendl Tobias Wendl Tobias Wendl is a German luger who has competed since the 2000s. He won a silver medal in the men's doubles event at the 2008 FIL World Luge Championships in Oberhof, Germany.... & Tobias Arlt Tobias Arlt Tobias Arlt is a German luger who has competed since the 2000s. He won a silver medal in the men's doubles event at the 2008 FIL World Luge Championships in Oberhof, Germany.... |
29 January 2010 | 4.258 |
| Luge - men's doubles | Track | - Christian Oberstolz Christian Oberstolz Christian Oberstolz is an Italian luger who has competed since 1997. He won four medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with two silvers and two bronzes .At the FIL European Luge Championships, Oberstolz won five medals with one gold , three... & Patrick Gruber Patrick Gruber Patrick Gruber is an Italian luger who has competed since 1997. He won four medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with two silvers and two bronzes .At the FIL European Luge Championships, Gruber won five medals with one gold Patrick Gruber (born January 31, 1978 in Bruneck) is an Italian... |
30 January 2010 | 46.293 |
| Women's skeleton | Track | Shelley Rudman Shelley Rudman Shelley Rudman is a British Olympic athlete. She won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in skeleton; the only medal for Great Britain at the games... - |
4 December 2009 | 58.71 |
Championships hosted
- 2006 Winter Olympics2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
- FIL European Luge Championships: 2008FIL European Luge Championships 2008The FIL European Luge Championships 2008 took place January 7-13, 2008 at the Cesana Pariol track in Cesana, Italy. The relay competition took the place of the team event that had been held at every European championship since 1988...
- FIL World Luge Championships: 2011FIL World Luge Championships 2011The FIL World Luge Championships 2011 took place 28-30 January 2011 in Cesana, Italy at the Cesana Pariol bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track. A total of 19 countries competed.-Medalists:-Men's singles:...