Tobogganing: Loch attacks IOC: “It’s the money that decides”

Felix Loch has attacked the IOC sharply. The triple Olympic luge champion accuses the International Olympic Committee of not having acted in the interests of sport or the environment. “At the IOC, it’s the money that decides. Not the mind,” he told t-online.de.

“Sustainability and environmental awareness did not play a role in the IOC’s decisions,” Loch said. The 29-year-old questioned in particular the Olympic awards to Pyeongchang 2018 and Peking 2022.

“Sports facilities that are no longer in use after the games are being built from the ground up. In Pyeongchang a new track was built especially for Olympia. But I don’t think it’s likely that there will ever be another race on this track,” Loch explained.

The IOC had not done sport any favours with its decisions in recent years. As an athlete, however, Loch is trapped in this system. “If I say now that I’m boycotting the games in Beijing, someone else will go there. That can’t be the solution either,” says Loch.

A thorn in the side of the twelve-time World Champion are also the sponsor requirements for the Olympic Games: “We are not allowed to present our private sponsors during the Games. Only the sponsors of the IOC may be visible. This damages the sport and also has an indirect influence on the quality of the sport.”

Especially in marginal sports like tobogganing, financing is a big problem. “And if we are not allowed to present our sponsors during the most important races of our career, the search for business partners will of course not be made easier.