Luge Tickets

The tree of happiness extends its branches in woods of melancholy. The traveler in this world has to search for it amongst desolate paths that lead to nowhere. Along the way he has to confront cold winds that strike his face forgetting to forgive him. He loses courage every now and then but tries not to give up. The clouds in the sky seem to wither away leaving little message to help him. He draws solace only from his horse, it being his sincere companion. The promise of the fruits keep him going but the only reward he gets are the leaves that keep falling ahead of him. Hey traveler, it's time to shake off your gloomy feelings! Your journey in this world just needs vibrant colors and the good news is that Winter Games 2010 are about to commence. In the same league as other winter sports, Luge 2010 is an event that will definitely put on you high sky!

The Winter Games 2010 are scheduled at Vancouver and the Luge 2010 event is to be held at Whistler Sliding Center. The events are to be scheduled from 13th to 17th February 2010. In compliance with the rules of the International Olympic Committee and the International Luge Federation, 110 athletes will participate in the events. There will be men's singles (40 athletes), women's singles (30 athletes) and 40 athletes for 20 doubles. The maximum athlete count has been set as on the same pattern followed in the 2002 Winter Olympics (Salt Lake City) and the 2006 Winter Olympics (Turin). 10 athletes (3 men's single, 3 women's single) can be entered by each NOC.

The qualification system for ranking has been carefully devised. The number of world cup points earned in the 2008-09 season (as also through the first half before December 31) is used for ranking the athletes. To qualify for entry, the athletes must have secured world cup points five International competitions, Junior World Cup or Nations Cup. The other considerations will be securing a top-30 (men's single), top-20 (women's single) or top-16 (doubles) finish at an international event during the qualification period. For Luge 2010, the top-40 men's single, top-30 women's single and top-20 doubles sleds will succeed for the Olympics. For some unrepresented nations, some unused quotas will be allocated. If the host country Canada reaches minimum requirement, then it will be granted a sled in every event.

The International Luge Federation announced the panel of judges for Luge 2010 in June 2009. Experts from USA, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Italy and Canada have been recruited as jury members. Blood doping controls will occur at the Winter Games 2010 for the first time, as announced by FIL in July 2009. This is to ensure that the athletes do not violate the rules of national federations.

Luge is a small sled led by one or two persons upon which they sled face up with feet first. The sled is steered by flexing the sled's runners with the help of calf of each leg. A sport in which racing is done with such sleds is also called Luge. For these competitions, there is a time slot set. Just like bobsled and skeleton that have their origins in the town of St Mortiz, Switzerland, Luge also evolved there in the mid-to-late nineteenth century. It was businessman Caspar Badrutt who came up with the idea of winter resorting apart from rooms with activities and food. The guests staying at the hotel started with an adventurous spirit to modify delivery boys' sleds for recreation. However the pedestrians became the hitting target of the sleds as they passed down the alleys of the village.

The guests then further tried to design methods of steering the sleds thus inventing the skeleton, the luge and bobsleigh. For the safety of passersby, he developed a special track for his guests' activities. This was the world's first half-pipe constructed around 1870. The same track still continues to serve the sport even today and has functioned in two Olympiads as the venue. It is also one of the few natural tracks that do not require any artificial manipulation. The success of this track permitted Badrutt to lay the foundation of Palace Hotel.

It was in 1883, that the sport was first initiated in an organized way in Switzerland. With the turn of the century, International Sled Sports Federation was founded in Germany. The federation supervised the sport till 1935, afterwards being incorporated in a larger organization. The game of skeleton was then replaced by Luge in the Olympic Games and the first organized tournament was held at the World Championship at Oslo, Norway in 1955. Hit big time with Winter Games 2010 at Vancouver, and snatch Luge 2010 Tickets!