Successful Luge Camp in Thailand:
Promoting young talent and international networking

Kaeng Krachan, Thailand (FIL/03 July 2024) The second luge camp in Thailand took place from June 20 to 24 at the Kaeng Krachan racetrack in the province of Petchaburi. The 2.9-kilometer racetrack for cars and motorcycles, which is located about three hours from Bangkok, features a variety of hills, proved to be an ideal training location for the approximately 20 new potential luge athletes from Thailand.

The luge camp was organized as a joint project between the FIL and the Thai Ski and Snowboard Association (SSAT). In close cooperation with Sueb Tarasiri and Tony Chantawat from the SSAT, a successful training camp was set up. Sueb Tarasiri met FIL Development Director Fred Zimny two years ago at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. At that time, Tarasiri was already very interested in establishing a luge program in Thailand.

As the only FIL coach at this summer camp, Fred Zimny was supported by Mr. Satawat Seubsingkhan, who already has knowledge in the sport of luge due to his collaboration in the first Thailand luge camp, will be a valuable asset to future programs. Further support was provided by the Thai athletes Sunita Chaiyapantho and Theraphat Sata, who had qualified for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2024 in PyeongChang. Agnese Campeol (THA), the silver medalist in monobob at the YOG 2024 also provided valuable assistance.

"The camp was almost entirely financed by the SSAT, which impressively underlines their commitment to popularizing the sport of luge in Thailand. To support future training and evaluation courses for athletes, two roller sleds were recently purchased from the Fiberglass company in Latvia," reported Fred Zimny.

In conjunction with the Thai roller ski championships and a FIS roller ski competition, which also took place at the Kaeng Krachan racetrack, the camp provided an excellent opportunity to introduce the sport of luge to the participating nations of the roller ski competition. These included delegations from Indonesia, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Taipei and Korea.

The successful luge camp in Thailand marks an important step in the development of the sport of luge in the region and shows the potential for future international cooperation and competitions.