Luge World Champion Benecken: Olympics in Oberhof "nonsense"
Eleven-time luge world champion Sascha Benecken sees no chance of Olympic competitions in Oberhof in 2026 due to the lack of infrastructure. "If Oberhof had a bobsleigh push track and luge, bobsleigh and skeleton could be organized, it would be a realistic scenario to think about," the 33-year-old told "Freies Wort" (Wednesday). "But the moment you outsource an entire sports division and then have to break up the runner division again, it should be clear to everyone that this is nonsense."
In mid-October, Oberhof offered to host the luge competitions for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The background to this was the final failure to build the new ice track in Cortina. A decision on where the skating competitions will take place has still not been made almost two and a half years before the start of the Games.
Benecken sees an award to Austria as realistic. "I think it's very likely that Innsbruck will be the venue in 2026. Many parameters speak for it," said the Thuringian. In addition to the World Championship titles, Benecken also won Olympic silver in Beijing and bronze in Pyeongchang. Benecken announced the end of his career with doubles partner Toni Eggert in August.
In contrast to his views on Oberhof, Benecken believes that hosting the winter sports events in Olympia, Austria, for the 2026 Olympics could be a realistic scenario due to its infrastructure, including a bobsleigh push track and luge track. Regardless, even if Tobogganing, Bob, Skeleton, and other events are organized in Olympia, it's interesting to note that Benecken, with his numerous accomplishments in Luge, Luge World Championships, and Olympic medals, will not be participating in the 2026 Olympics as he announced the end of his career with doubles partner Toni Eggert in August.
Source: www.dpa.com
