Luge
Luge is a Winter Olympics sport. It is similar to the bobsleigh, but faster and more dangerous. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, a Georgian athlete was killed in practice after several complaints that the track was too fast.
 Luge pictogram | |
| Highest governing body | Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course |
|---|---|
| First played | 1870s |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | No |
| Team members | Teams of 1 or 2 |
| Mixed gender | Yes, but usually in separate competitions |
| Type | Winter sport, Time trial |
| Equipment | Sled, helmet, suit, visor, gloves, finger spikes, booties |
| Venue | Luge tracks |
| Presence | |
| Olympic | Part of Winter Olympic program in 1964 to 2026 |
Luge Media
Doubles luge, Myroslav and Ivan Lenko at the 2022 Luge World Cup trainings
Luge sled, with steel runners removed
A young luger on the start ramp at the Utah Olympic track
German luger Thomas Köhler in 1964
Matt Mortensen (top) and Preston Griffall (bottom) are clocked at 80 miles per hour on a run at Sanki Sliding Centre in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia.
Curves 11 and 12 on the Utah Olympic track near Park City, Utah
Natural lugers on double sled
Luge "natural track racing sled" with steering rope and runners
Georg Hackl of Germany is the most successful Olympic luger, having won five medals, of which three are gold medals attained in three consecutive Olympics.
Armin Zöggeler is an Italian luger, and is the first—and so far the only—athlete to have won a medal in six consecutive Olympics.
