After three years, the EBERSPÄCHER World Cup is finally returning to North America during the 45th FIL World Cup season 2022/2023. The last Luge World Cup was held in North America in December 2019, before travel and entry restrictions and health requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in overseas races being relocated to Europe.
The 2002 Olympic track near Salt Lake City last saw Luge World Cup action in 2016, as Lake Placid, N.Y. won the bid to host the races in the U.S. in 2017 through 2019. Junior World Cups and continental competitions have been held at the Park City track in recent years.
Nine stops of the EBERSPÄCHER World Cup include seven countries and two continents during the FIL artificial track calendar in the coming season. In addition, three BMW Sprint World Cups will also take place from December to February, in Innsbruck on December 4, Park City on December 17, and Winterberg on February 12 and 23. And there are six EBERSPÄCHER Team Relay World Cups presented by BMW coming up (Whistler, Sigulda, Lillehammer, Altenburg, St. Moritz, and the final in Winterberg).
As in every FIL sporting year, Continental Championships will be formatted in race-in-race mode with the World Cups. Thus, the 12th America-Pacific Championships on December 16 and 17 in Park City, USA, and the 54th FIL European Championships on January 14 and 15, 2023, in Lillehammer, Norway, are on the program.
The season’s highlight will be the 51st FIL World Championships in Oberhof at the end of January.
Women and men equally entitled
The quotas for women’s and men’s participation in the EBERSPÄCHER World Cup are equal for the first time in the 2022/23 season. 30 men and 30 women (12 seeded, 18 qualified via the Nations Cup) are entitled to start. In addition, 24 men’s and women’s doubles (12 seeded, 12 qualified via the Nations Cup) are eligible to compete in the World Cups. A maximum of four single-seaters and three double-seaters per nation may compete.
The competitors in the Sprint World Cup qualify at the current World Cup race of the weekend. Those who finish among the top 15 in the EBERSPÄCHER World Cup will also be eligible to compete in the Sprint on Sunday.
World Cup calendar 2022/2023:
EBERSPÄCHER World Cup INNSBRUCK (AUT), 02 – 04 DECEMBER.
EBERSPÄCHER World Cup WHISTLER (CAN), 09. – 11. DECEMBER
EBERSPÄCHER World Cup PARK CITY (USA), 15 – 17 DECEMBER
EBERSPÄCHER World Cup SIGULDA (LAT), 06 – 08 JANUARY
EBERSPÄCHER World Cup & 54th FIL EM LILLEHAMMER (NOR), 13 – 15 Jan.
51st World Championships 2023 OBERHOF (GER), 27 – 29 JANUARY
EBERSPÄCHER World Cup ALTENBERG (GER), 03 – 05 FEBRUARY
EBERSPÄCHER World Cup WINTERBERG (GER), 10 – 12 FEBRUARY
EBERSPÄCHER World Cup ST. MORITZ (SUI), 17 – 19 FEBRUARY
EBERSPÄCHER World Cup WINTERBERG (GER), 24 – 26 FEBRUARY 2023
