Luge Team Austria: “We are facing an extraordinary season from an organisational point of view”.

Innsbruck (FIL) In Austria, approximately 26,000 people were infected by the coronavirus between February and August 2020. The federal state of Tyrol was most severely affected. The number of people infected in Tyrol has increased significantly since the end of February 2020. So far, there have been over 4,000 confirmed cases of infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The community of Ischgl in Tyrol was one of the hotspots at the beginning of the crisis. Therefore, a curfew was imposed throughout Tyrol from March 15th onwards.

René Friedl has been the Head Coach of the artificial track luge team in Austria since 2005, as well as also being the Sporting Director since 2019. Looking back on the period from mid-March to the beginning of May, he says: “Training was done at home during the curfew, according to individual possibilities and in consultation with the coaches Peter Penz and Carson Patterson. From the beginning of May, training began in small groups at the men's start and in the National Training Center under the appropriate legal regulations. We had our first contact with the ice at the end of May in Telfs in the ice rink. Within the framework of the guidelines, there was an emergency staffing at the office of the Austrian Luge Federation (ÖRV). Much of the work was done at home. This is something positive to take away from the time for the future. Some things and meetings can also be done very well whilst working at home and through online meetings”.

The Sporting Director and Head Coach of the successful Austrian luge team enjoyed the time at home with his family: “Despite working at home, I also used the period to spend more time with my family. It was a new experience for us as a family. Everyone had to do their tasks at home. I was able to do schoolwork with Marno, the smallest one. My son Arturs and my daughter Anna had online lessons and studies. My wife was in the online course for further education and I was in the home office. There were often internet troubles, but we also had a lot of time to talk, play or make plans! We spent a lot of time in the garden, which we enjoyed, especially with the nice weather”.

The team had to cancel all planned training camps for the summer. Training is mainly done in the Innsbruck area, in smaller groups. This means a significant additional effort for the coaches in the training process: “Certainly, the preparation has not been as usual so far. We have simply tried to make the best of it. In the end, we will see the effects in the results in Winter. I think there were new challenges for all teams to which they had to adapt to. After the vacation in July 2020 all athletes had to do a Covid test before training started. After a negative result, the training started“, said the Sporting Director and Head Coach.

The Austrian team has planned for the start of the season on ice on October 3rd in Lillehammer (NOR). René Friedl doubts that the planned ice training courses on other tracks will be carried out as planned: “At the moment, all this is very uncertain. We have already cancelled the course in Lake Placid. Sigulda, Königssee, Altenberg and Winterberg would then still have to be planned and prepared. In any case, we want to luge in Igls from November 18th.”

Currently the infection numbers in Europe are going up again. The ÖRV is working together with the FIL on a hygiene concept for the World Cup opening at the end of November in Igls. René Friedl commented: “The first World Cup in Igls will certainly set the precedent for all other events. I hope that we will be able to organise a World Cup series and World Championships. What the season might look like, there will be a decision by the FIL after September 15, 2020. We are certainly facing a particularly extraordinary season, not from a sporting point of view but from an organisational point of view for all teams, organisers, the FIL and all those involved“.