| A luge is small one- or two-person sled on | | | | course is timed, and the athlete must depart |
| which one sleighs supine and feet-first. | | | | from the start handles within a certain time |
| Steering is done by flexing the sled's | | | | once the track is declared clear. |
| runners or pulling straps attached to the | | | | |
| sled's runners. Luge is also the name of the | | | | The athlete is required to arrive at the |
| sport which involves racing with such sleds. | | | | finish with the luge. Failure to do so |
| It is a competition in which these sleds race | | | | results in automatic disqualification. |
| against the clock. | | | | However, athletes are permitted to stop |
| | | | during a run and continue their descent, with |
| History | | | | a push, after repositioning the sled on the |
| | | | track. |
| The Luge, like the Skeleton, and the Bobsled, | | | | |
| originated in the health-spa town of St | | | | There are weight restrictions on the sleds, |
| Moritz, Switzerland, in the mid-to-late | | | | as well as restrictions on the design and |
| nineteenth century, through the endeavours of | | | | construction. The 'steels' (the metal blades |
| hotel entrepreneur Caspar Badrutt. Badrutt | | | | on the bottom of the runners on which the |
| successfully sold the idea of winter | | | | sled slides) must be within a certain |
| resorting, as well as rooms with food, drink, | | | | temperature range relative to the air |
| and activities. His more adventurous English | | | | temperature. There are also weight |
| guests began adapting delivery boys' sleds | | | | restrictions on the athletes, as well as many |
| for recreation, which led to collisions with | | | | other restrictions related to equipment |
| pedestrians as they sped down the lanes and | | | | including speedsuits, boots, helmets, gloves, |
| alleys of the village. This had two outcomes: | | | | spikes, etc. |
| in the short term the guests began to devise | | | | |
| methods of steering the sleds, and so | | | | Like other timed sports, qualifying |
| invented the Skeleton (head first, prone), | | | | determines start position, important during |
| the Luge (feet first, supine), and the two- | | | | deteriorating track conditions. During World |
| and four-man Bobsleighs (Bobsleds). In the | | | | Cup and World Championship events, two runs |
| long term, in the interests of pedestrian | | | | determine the winners of the Men's Singles, |
| safety, he built a special track for his | | | | Women's Singles, and Doubles events. At the |
| guests' activities -- the world's first | | | | Winter Olympics, Men and Women Single event |
| "half-pipe", in about 1870. The track is | | | | are timed over four runs while the Doubles |
| still in use today; it has been used as a | | | | still do two runs. For the World Cup and |
| venue in two Olympiads, and is one of the few | | | | World Championship Team Event, one run each |
| natural weather tracks that do not depend on | | | | is performed from the respective country's |
| artificial refrigeration. Its success | | | | Doubles, Women's Singles, and Men's Singles |
| eventually enabled Badrutt to build the | | | | with the combined time determining the |
| Palace Hotel; he was able to retain the | | | | winner. The Challenge Cup is a single round |
| popular Krup Hotel, which catered for | | | | elimination event, similar to what you see in |
| different clientele and brought in | | | | Drag Racing or Team pursuit track cycling |
| competition as Alpine winter tourism | | | | where the sliders have a qualifying round to |
| increased in popularity. | | | | get bracketed, then run down the track in |
| | | | respective rounds (quarterfinals, semifinals, |
| The first organized meeting of the sport took | | | | and finals) until a winner is determined. |
| place in 1883 in Switzerland. In 1913, the | | | | |
| Internationale Schlittensportverband or | | | | Artificial tracks |
| International Sled Sports Federation, was | | | | |
| founded in Dresden (Germany). This body | | | | Artificial Tracks have specially designed and |
| governed the sport until 1935, when it was | | | | constructed banked curves plus walled-in |
| incorporated in the Fédération | | | | straights. Most tracks are artificially |
| Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing | | | | refrigerated, but artificial tracks without |
| (FIBT, International Bobsleigh and | | | | artificial cooling also exist (for example, |
| Tobogganing Federation). After it had been | | | | St. Moritz). Tracks tend to be very smooth. |
| decided that luge would replace the sport of | | | | The athletes ride in an aerodynamic and flat |
| skeleton at the Olympic Games, the first | | | | position on the sled, keep their heads low |
| World Championships in the sport were held in | | | | and steer by shifting their body weight as |
| 1955 in Oslo (Norway). In 1957, the | | | | well as pressing in on the runners with their |
| Fédération Internationale de Luge de | | | | feet. They speed around high banked curves |
| Course (FIL, International Luge Federation) | | | | while experiencing a centripetal pull of up |
| is founded. Luge events were first included | | | | to 4G. Men's Singles have their start |
| in the Olympic Winter Games in 1964. | | | | locations near where the bobsled and skeleton |
| | | | competitors at most tracks while both the |
| Rules | | | | Doubles and Women's Singles competition have |
| | | | their starthouse located further down the |
| The rules are fairly simple in luge. The | | | | track. |