Zwickau / Königssee (RWH) China’s first ever national luge team has undertaken inaugural sliding tests. Sports coordinator Wolfgang Schädler elected to use the plastic luge track in Zwickau, Saxony, to get his team into the swing of things before they took to the artificial ice track in Königssee for the first time. Under the watchful eyes of two additional coaches and a team doctor, the twelve athletes in Zwickau experienced a luge track for the first time and were able to develop a feel for sliding, as well as working on their sitting position and start technique. After three days of training the team was able to slide the entire length of the track and also carry out their first timed runs. China’s young lugers also made significant progress in Königssee. China put together its first national luge team in the summer, prior to the 2022 Winter Olympics being awarded to Beijing. Team director is Liechtenstein-born Wolfgang Schädler, who spent more than two decades coaching the US team and more recently worked as a coach in Russia.