Josef Fendt is the current president of the Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course

Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course

The International Luge Federation is the main international federation for all luge sports...

 (FIL). He was a West German

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

-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...

 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...

r who competed from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won the silver medal in the men's singles event at Innsbruck

Innsbruck

- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

 in 1976

1976 Winter Olympics

The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4–15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria...

.

Fendt also won two gold medals in the men's singles event at the FIL World Luge Championships, earning them in 1970

FIL World Luge Championships 1970

The FIL World Luge Championships 1970 took place in Königssee, West Germany. It is the only time that the championships have been held in the same location in consecutive years.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Medal table:...

 and 1974

FIL World Luge Championships 1974

The FIL World Luge Championships 1974 took place in Königssee, West Germany for a record third time. Königssee had hosted the event previously in 1969 and 1970.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Medal table:-References:***...

. Additionally, he won a silver medal in the men's singles event at the 1973 FIL European Luge Championships

FIL European Luge Championships 1973

The FIL European Luge Championships 1973 took place in Königssee, West Germany for the second consecutive year and third time overall .-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Medal table:-References:***...

 in Königssee

Schönau am Königsee

Schönau am Königsee is a municipality in the district of Berchtesgadener Land in the German state of Bavaria. It is located at the northern end of the Königssee lake....

, West Germany

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

.

After his retirement from competitive luge, Fendt got active in the International Luge Federation (FIL), being named Vice-President Sport for Artificial Track in 1985, a position he stayed at until the death of FIL's first president Bert Isatitsch

Bert Isatitsch

Bert Isatitsch was an Austrian educator who later became the first president of the International Luge Federation , serving from its 1957 establishment until his 1994 death.-Education career:...

 in February 1994. Fendt was appointed acting president of the FIL as a result, then elected full president in June of that year.

Fendt's sister, Andrea

Andrea Fendt

Andrea Fendt is a West German luger who competed during the 1970s. She won the silver medal in the women's singles event at the 1978 FIL World Luge Championships in Imst, Austria....

, won the silver medal in the women's singles event at the 1978 FIL World Luge Championships

FIL World Luge Championships 1978

-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Medal table:-References:***...

 in Imst

Imst

Imst is a city in the Austrian federal state of Tyrol. It lies on the River Inn in western Tyrol, some 55 km west of Innsbruck and at an altitude of 828 m above sea-level...

, 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...

.

On Fendt's 61st birthday in Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

, he received the Bundesverdienstkreuz

Bundesverdienstkreuz

The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...

 Verdienstkreuz am Bande (Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of 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...

) for his contributions toward society, mainly in luge.