Lugeing | History, Rules, & Facts - Britannica

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• Introduction & Top Questions
• History and organization
• Equipment and competition
• Notable athletes

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• How many people have died in luge?
• When did the Olympic Games start?
• When are the Olympic Games?
• Where are the Olympic Games held?
• Who started the modern Olympics?

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luge sledding sport Ask Anything Homework Help Also known as: luge tobogganing, lugeing Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Jan. 28, 2026 •History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything Top Questions

What is a luge?

A luge is a small sled. In the sport of luge, also called lugeing, athletes ride a sled on their backs, feet-first, down an icy track, steering by leg and shoulder movements.

Is luge still an Olympic sport?

Yes, luge is an Olympic sport. It made its debut at the Innsbruck 1964 Winter Olympic Games and has been included in all subsequent Winter Games.

How many people have died in luge?

Three professional lugers have died as a result of crashes. In 1964 Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki of Great Britain died after crashing during a training run prior to that year’s Winter Olympics. Five years later Polish luger Stanisław Paczka died after crashing during a world championship competition in Königssee, Germany. Nodar Kumaritashvili, a luger from Georgia, was killed after crashing into a steel column during a practice run shortly before the opening ceremony of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

How fast can a luge go?

Lugers can exceed 150 km (93 miles) per hour while navigating turns. The world record is 153.98 km (95.68 miles) per hour, set in 2009 by German luger Felix Loch.

luge, form of small-sled racing. Luge sledding is distinctive from bobsledding and skeleton sledding in that the sled is ridden in a supine position (lying on the back) and steered by subtle leg and shoulder movements. The sport takes its name from the French word for “sled.”

History and organization

Dating to the 15th century, luge is a traditional winter sport in Austria and Germany. The first international sledding competition was held in Davos, Switzerland, in 1883. The International Sled Sport Federation was established in 1913 in Dresden, Germany, and it merged with the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT) in 1935. The first European luge championships, with single- and double-seater events, were held in 1914 at Reichenfels, Austria, and the first world titles were contested at Oslo in 1955. In 1957 the luge sport left the FIBT and established the Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course (FIL; shortened to Fédération Internationale de Luge in 2022).

Luge was included in the Olympic Winter Games for the first time in 1964 and featured men’s singles, women’s singles, and men’s doubles events. A team relay—consisting of doubles sled, women’s singles sled, and men’s singles sled competitions—were added to the schedule for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and women’s doubles will be included for the first time in the program at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

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Equipment and competition

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The sled, called a luge, is of wood, plastic, or fiberglass construction, with wide runners faced with steel. The maximum weight of the sled is 25 kg (55 pounds) for singles and 30 kg (66 pounds) for doubles. Luge competition is often held on a bobsled run. Runs vary in length but typically range between 1,000 meters and 1,300 meters (approximately three-fourths of a mile) for men and between 800 meters and 1,050 meters (approximately half a mile) for women.

Athletes wear an aerodynamic bodysuit and spiked gloves, which enable them to “paddle” the ice at the start of the race, propelling them down the course. Speeds can exceed 150 km (93 miles) per hour as competitors navigate the icy turns (the world record is 153.98 km [95.68 miles] per hour, set in 2009 by German luger Felix Loch). A helmet is mandatory. Nevertheless, lugers have had catastrophic injuries as a result of crashing at high speeds. Two of the highest profile such episodes occurred in the lead-up to Olympic competition. In 1964 Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki of Great Britain died after crashing during a training run prior to that year’s Winter Olympics, and Nodar Kumaritashvili, a luger from Georgia, was killed after crashing into a steel column during a practice run shortly before the opening ceremony of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

Also called: lugeing and luge tobogganing (Show more) Key People: Wolfgang Linger Andreas Linger Georg Hackl Sylke Otto Armin Zöggeler (Show more) Related Topics: Olympic Games Which Winter Sport Is the Fastest? Winter Olympic Games street luge winter sports (Show more) Notable Honorees: Tatjana Hüfner (Show more) See all related content

International luge competition has been dominated by European athletes, those from Germany and Austria in particular. At the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, U.S. doubles teams claimed the silver and bronze medals, the first luge Olympic medals won by non-Europeans.

Notable athletes

• Georg Hackl (Germany)
• Tatjana Hüfner (Germany)
• Thomas Köhler (Germany and East Germany)
• Linger brothers (Austria)
• Sylke Otto (Germany)
• Armin Zöggeler (Italy)

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Will Gosner.