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 the newspaper "Freies Wort" (Wednesday). "But the moment you outsource an entire sports division and then have to break up the luge 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 believes that an award to Austria is realistic. "I believe that it is very likely that Innsbruck will host the 2026 Games. There are many parameters in favor of this," 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.
