FIL World Luge Championships 2008
Encyclopedia
Oberhof bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The Oberhof bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a venue used for bobsled, luge and skeleton located in Oberhof, Germany.-History:Oberhof had been the home of sledding activities since 1905, mostly bobsleigh. In 1931, the facility hosted the first ever FIBT World Championships in the two-man...
in Oberhof, Germany
Oberhof, Germany
Oberhof is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district of Thuringia, Germany. It is a winter sports center and health resort. It is visited by tenfold as many tourists every year...
for the third time after having hosted the event in 1973
FIL World Luge Championships 1973
The FIL World Luge Championships 1973 took place in Oberhof, East Germany.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Medal table:-References:***...
and 1985
FIL World Luge Championships 1985
The FIL World Luge Championships 1985 took place in Oberhof, East Germany for the second time, having done so previously in 1973.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Medal table:-References:***...
. The relay competition took the place of the team event that had been held at every world championship since 1989
FIL World Luge Championships 1989
The FIL World Luge Championships 1989 took place in Winterberg, West Germany. The mixed team event consisting of two separate runs each in men's singles, two separate runs each in women's singles, and one run in men's doubles debutted.-Men's singles:...
. This event had all of teams start at the same part of the track (located at the women's singles/ men's doubles start house), then run down to the finish and tap on a relay marker to exchange from one slider on a team to the next (men's doubles to women's singles to men's singles) with the fastest time winning.
Event preparations
In an effort to prepare for the championships, the track underwent a major renovationRenovation
Renovation is the process of improving a structure. Two prominent types of renovations are commercial and residential.-Process:The process of a renovation, however complex, can usually be broken down into several processes...
in 2006, costing €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
4 million. Ticket
Ticket (admission)
A ticket is a voucher that indicates that one has paid for admission to an event or establishment such as a theatre, movie theater, amusement park, zoo, museum, concert, or other attraction, or permission to travel on a vehicle such as an airliner, train, bus, or boat, typically because one has...
sales at the finish area for all three days were sold out. Besides the competitors, the organizing team consisted of 250 volunteers, 60 security
Security
Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
guards, 30 referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
s, 100 service staff members, 15 teller
Teller
Teller may refer to:* Teller * Teller , of Penn & Teller* Bank teller** Automated teller machine* Teller * Teller, Alaska* Teller County, Colorado* Teller Amendment* Teller mine...
s, ten drivers, and 30 German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
soldiers and members of the mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
rescue
Rescue
Rescue refers to responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or prevention of injury during an incident or dangerous situation....
service. Organizing Committee President Bernd Rossmann (spelled Roßmann in Germany) stated that "We can expect 5,000 Visitors each day, but we hope we can reach 10,000 daily. Tickets remain available." 200 media passes were also given out for the event. Television coverage took place live on Eurosport
Eurosport
Eurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events...
2, showing the women's singles event, the first run of the men's singles event, and both runs of the men's doubles event.
Participating nations
21 nations entered competitors into the championships, including 42 men's singles, 36 women's singles, and 24 men's doubles. 77 officials were also part of the competitor's list.Countries that were planning on competing who withdrew were Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
Time tables
The current, non-competitive schedule was updated as of January 22, 2008.- Practice dates for the events took place January 21-25, 2008.
- A church serviceChurch serviceIn Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
took place 6 PM CET (5 PM UTC) on the 23rd. - Opening ceremonies took place 8 PM CETCentral European TimeCentral European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
(7 PM UTC) on the 24th. FIL President Josef FendtJosef FendtJosef 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...
declared the event officially open on 8:46 PM CET (7:46 PM UTC) with fireworks and music as part of the ceremony. Accompanying Fendt was Dieter AlthausDieter AlthausDieter Althaus is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union .Althaus was teaching Physics and Mathematics at the Polytechnic Secondary School in Geismar, Thuringia, from 1983 to 1989, where he became deputy headteacher in 1987.Since 1985 Althaus has been a member of the CDU, remaining...
, Minister-PresidentMinister-PresidentA minister-president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments, in which a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government prevails, who presides over the council of ministers...
of ThuringiaThuringiaThe Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
. - Closing ceremonies took place 3 PM CET (2 PM UTC) on the 27th.
Men's singles
| Medal | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1:30.643 | |
| Silver | + 0.074 | |
| Bronze | + 0.171 |
Loch becomes the youngest world champion ever.
Women's singles
January 25, 2008 at 2 PM CET (1 PM UTC)| Medal | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1:26.007 | |
| Silver | + 0.040 | |
| Bronze | + 0.142 |
A retirement ceremony was held prior to the start of the event for four-time women's singles world champion Sylke Otto
Sylke Otto
Sylke Otto is a former German luger who competed from 1991 to 2007...
, who won in 2000
FIL World Luge Championships 2000
The FIL World Luge Championships 2000 took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland. This marked the only time since the 1981 world championships that the event has taken place on a naturally refrigerated track.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:...
, 2001
FIL World Luge Championships 2001
The FIL World Luge Championships 2001 took place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the third time after hosting the event previously in 1990 and 1993.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Mixed team:-Medal table:-References:****...
, 2003
FIL World Luge Championships 2003
The FIL World Luge Championships 2003 took place in Sigulda, Latvia. The team event was adjusted to one nation per team at these championships.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Mixed team:-Medal table:-References:****...
, and 2005
FIL World Luge Championships 2005
-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Mixed team:-Medal table:-References:****...
, before retiring prior to last year's world championships
FIL World Luge Championships 2007
The FIL World Luge Championships 2007 took place February 2-4, 2007 at the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Igls, Austria for the fourth time after having hosted the event in 1977, 1987, and 1997.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:...
in Igls, 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...
. Hüfner defended her title despite setting start and track records in the first run only to have current European champion
FIL European Luge Championships 2008
The 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...
Geisenberger follow up with start and track records of her own on the second run. Kraushaar-Pielach won her tenth and final career medal at the world championships.
Men's doubles
January 27, 2008 at 10 AM CET (9 AM UTC)| Medal | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | (André Florschütz André Florschütz André Florschütz is a German luger who competed from 1993 to 2010. Together with Torsten Wustlich, he won the silver medal in the men's doubles event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.... , Torsten Wustlich Torsten Wustlich Torsten Wustlich is a German luger who competed from 1998 to 2010. Together with André Florschütz, he won the silver medal in the men's doubles event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.... ) |
1:26.893 |
| Silver | (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.... ) |
+ 0.092 |
| Bronze | (Tobias Schiegl Tobias Schiegl Tobias Schiegl is an Austrian luger who competed from 1993 to 2010. He won fourteen medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with five golds , five silvers , and four bronzes Tobias Schiegl (born October 5, 1973 in Kufstein) is an Austrian luger who competed from 1993 to 2010. He won fourteen... , Markus Schiegl Markus Schiegl Markus Schiegl is an Austrian luger who has competed from 1987 to 2010. He won fourteen medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with five golds , five silvers , and four bronzes Markus Schiegl (born 07.06.1975 in Kufstein) is an Austrian luger who has competed from 1987 to 2010. He won fourteen... ) |
+ 0.217 |
This was Florschütz and Wustlich's third world championship in this event, having previously won in 2001
FIL World Luge Championships 2001
The FIL World Luge Championships 2001 took place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the third time after hosting the event previously in 1990 and 1993.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Mixed team:-Medal table:-References:****...
and 2005
FIL World Luge Championships 2005
-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Mixed team:-Medal table:-References:****...
. This is the first championship medal for the 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...
duo of Wendl and Arlt who set the start record during the second run. It was the seventh medal for the Schiegl brothers. Defending world champions
FIL World Luge Championships 2007
The FIL World Luge Championships 2007 took place February 2-4, 2007 at the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Igls, Austria for the fourth time after having hosted the event in 1977, 1987, and 1997.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:...
Patric Leitner
Patric Leitner
Patric-Fritz Leitner is a German luger who competed from 1998 to 2010. Together with Alexander Resch he won the men's doubles event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States. They also competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics, finishing sixth...
and Alexander Resch
Alexander Resch
Alexander Resch is a German luger who competed from 1998 to 2010. Together with Patric Leitner, he won the men's doubles event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States. They also competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics, finishing sixth...
of Germany finished a disappointing 11th place while defending European champions
FIL European Luge Championships 2008
The 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...
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...
and 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...
of 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...
finished 21st after the first run and did not even qualify for the second run of the event.
Mixed team relay
January 27, 2008 at 1 PM CET (Noon UTC)| Medal | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | (Felix Loch Felix Loch Felix Loch is a German luger and Olympic champion. He has been competing since 1995 and has been on the German national team since 2006. He won five medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with four golds and one silver... , Tatjana Hüfner Tatjana Hüfner Tatjana Hüfner is a German luger who is the current Olympic Champion and has competed since 2003. She won the bronze medal in the women's singles at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin... , André Florschütz André Florschütz André Florschütz is a German luger who competed from 1993 to 2010. Together with Torsten Wustlich, he won the silver medal in the men's doubles event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.... , Torsten Wustlich Torsten Wustlich Torsten Wustlich is a German luger who competed from 1998 to 2010. Together with André Florschütz, he won the silver medal in the men's doubles event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.... ) |
2:29.664 |
| Silver | (Martin Abentung Martin Abentung Martin Aberntung is an Austrian-born luger who competed from 1999 to 2010. He won a silver medal in the mixed team event at the 2008 FIL World Luge Championships in Oberhof, Germany... , Nina Reithmeyer, Tobias Schiegl Tobias Schiegl Tobias Schiegl is an Austrian luger who competed from 1993 to 2010. He won fourteen medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with five golds , five silvers , and four bronzes Tobias Schiegl (born October 5, 1973 in Kufstein) is an Austrian luger who competed from 1993 to 2010. He won fourteen... , Markus Schiegl Markus Schiegl Markus Schiegl is an Austrian luger who has competed from 1987 to 2010. He won fourteen medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with five golds , five silvers , and four bronzes Markus Schiegl (born 07.06.1975 in Kufstein) is an Austrian luger who has competed from 1987 to 2010. He won fourteen... ) |
+ 0.412 |
| Bronze | (Guntis Rēķis Guntis Rekis Guntis Rēķis is a Latvian luger who has competed since 1997. He won two bronze medals in the mixed team event at the FIL World Luge Championships, earning them in 2008 and 2009.... , Maija Tīruma Maija Tiruma Maija Tīruma is a Latvian luger who has competed since the 2000.She won two bronze medals in the mixed team relay event at the FIL World Luge Championships .... , Andris Šics Andris Šics Andris Šics is a Latvian luger who has competed since 1998. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won a silver medal in the men's doubles event at Vancouver in 2010 alongside his teammate, older brother Juris Šics.... , Juris Šics Juris Šics Juris Šics is a Latvian luger who has competed since 1998. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won a silver medal in the men's doubles event at Vancouver in 2010 alongside his teammate, younger brother Andris Šics.... ) |
+ 0.594 |
The Germans
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...
won their ninth medal of these championships and the first ever mixed team relay event in the world championships.
Television ratings
On January 27, 2008, the German televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
station ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
, the mixed team relay had 3.21 million viewers or a 17.6 percent rating while the men's doubles event held earlier that day averaged 2.09 million viewers or an 18.2 percent rating. Felix Loch's victory in the men's singles event drew two million viewers or a 17.4 percent share.
Medal table
| 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |