Luge is the fastest sport at the Winter Olympics. Invented in the Swiss Alps in the late 1800s, this thrilling high-speed race has been a staple of the Winter Games since its first Olympic Games in 1964. At the Innsbruck Winter Games in Austria that year, men’s luge competition, women’s luge competition, and doubles luge competition were held.
The team relay luge competition, which involves both male and female competitors, was introduced at the 2014 Sochi Games. The women’s doubles competition will be included in the Olympic program for the first time in 2026. Here’s what you need to know about luge at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
What is a luge?
Luge is a winter sport in which athletes lie on their backs on small sleds and race feet-first down an ice track. Because there are no brakes, athletes use only slight movements of their legs, torso, and shoulders to maneuver while traveling at speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour.
What are the rules?
Men’s Singles: Players complete 4 runs over 2 days (2 runs per day). The run begins when the athlete or sled clears the start gate beam and ends when the sled completely crosses the finish line. The contestant with the fastest total time wins.
Men’s Doubles: Teams of two players complete two competitions in one day. The team with the fastest cumulative time wins.
Women’s Singles: Athletes complete 4 runs over 2 days (2 runs per day). Competitors start from a lower position than men. The player with the fastest total time wins.
Women’s Doubles (Olympic debut): Teams of two players complete two events in one day. Competitors start from a lower position than men. The team with the fastest cumulative time wins.
Team Relay: The event consists of one heat. Team relays combine women’s singles, men’s doubles, men’s singles, and women’s doubles into one race. As each part of the team completes a leg of the race, the athlete taps a touchpad hanging at the bottom of the track, which opens a gate for the next sled. The team with all four crew members crossing the finish line with the fastest cumulative time wins.
When will the luge competition take place at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
February 7, 2026
▪︎ Men’s singles 1st and 2nd matches
February 8, 2026
▪︎ Men’s singles 3rd and 4th matches
February 9, 2026
▪︎ Women’s singles 1st and 2nd matches
February 10, 2026
▪︎ Women’s singles 3rd and 4th matches
February 11, 2026
▪︎ Men’s doubles final
▪︎ Women’s doubles final
February 12, 2026
▪︎ Team Relay – Final
Where will the luge competition at the Winter Olympics be held?
The luge event will be held at the Cortina Sliding Center in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Who are the top luge performers?
Germany (including East and West Germany) has dominated luge competition throughout history, winning a total of 87 Olympic medals, including 38 gold medals. As of 2022, Germany’s Tobias Alt and Tobias Wendl lead the men’s competition with six medals each, all gold. The pair won their third consecutive doubles title at the 2022 Beijing Games. German female athlete Natalie Geisenberger has won seven medals, including six golds, in her four Olympic appearances.
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