| Luge at the XI Olympic Winter Games | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Venue | Sapporo Teine |
| Dates | 4–7 February |
| Competitors | 83 from 13 nations |
| Luge at the 1972 Winter Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Singles | men | women |
| Doubles | men | |
Luge at the 1972 Winter Olympics consisted of three events at Sapporo Teine. The competition took place between 4 and 7 February 1972. [1] [2]
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  East Germany | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 2 |  Italy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals (2 entries) | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 | |
East Germany led the medal table with eight medals, including three golds. The only non East-German medal came in the doubles, where Italy tied the Germans, with both teams receiving gold medals. [1]
| Event [1] | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's singles | Wolfgang Scheidel  East Germany | 3:27.58 | Harald Ehrig East Germany | 3:28.39 | Wolfram Fiedler East Germany | 3:28.73 |
| Women's singles | Anna-Maria Müller East Germany | 2:59.18 | Ute Rührold East Germany | 2:59.49 | Margit Schumann East Germany | 2:59.54 |
| Doubles | East Germany (GDR) Horst Hörnlein Reinhard Bredow Italy (ITA)Paul Hildgartner Walter Plaikner | 1:28.35 [a] | East Germany (GDR) Klaus Bonsack Wolfram Fiedler | 1:29.16 | ||
Thirteen nations participated in Luge at the Sapporo Games. Japan and the Soviet Union made their Olympic luge debut. [1]
Austria (8)
Canada (4)
France (1)
West Germany (10)
Great Britain (6) East Germany (9) Italy (9)
Japan (7)
Liechtenstein (1)
Norway (3)
Poland (8)
Soviet Union (7)
United States (10)
The Winter Olympic Games, also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held in Chamonix, France. The modern Olympic Games were inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BCE to 394 CE. The Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 1,500 years later in 1894, leading to the first modern Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority. The original five Winter Olympic Sports were bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, Nordic skiing, and skating. The Games were held every four years from 1924 to 1936, interrupted in 1940 and 1944 by World War II, and resumed in 1948. Until 1992, the Summer Olympic Games and the Winter Olympic Games were held in the same year. A decision to change this was made in 1986, when during the 91st International Olympic Committee session, IOC members decided to alternate the Summer Olympic Games and the Winter Olympic Games on separate four-year cycles in even-numbered years. Also, at that same congress it was decided that 1992 Winter Olympics would be the last to be held in the same year as the Summer Games and that to change the rotation, the games that would be held in 1996 would be brought forward by two years, being scheduled to 1994. After those games, the next were to be held in 1998 when the four-year Olympic Cycle resumed.
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The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the XI Olympic Winter Games [dai dʑɯitɕi-kai oɾinpikɯ tokikʲogi taikai] and commonly known as Sapporo 1972, were a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Europe and North America.
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event held in Sapporo, Japan, from 3 to 13 February 1972. A total of 1,006 athletes representing 35 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in 35 events from 10 different sports and disciplines.
The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, was an international multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from 26 January to 5 February 1956. A total of 821 athletes representing 32 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated. The games featured 24 events in 4 sports across 8 disciplines.
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Luge at the 1988 Winter Olympics consisted of three events at Canada Olympic Park. The competition took place between 14 and 19 February 1988.
Luge at the 1980 Winter Olympics consisted of three events at Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bobsled Run. The competition took place between 13 and 16 February 1980.
Biathlon at the 1972 Winter Olympics consisted of two biathlon events, held at Makomanai Biathlon Site. The events began on 9 February and ended on 11 February 1972.
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Ski jumping at the 1972 Winter Olympics consisted of two events held from 6 to 11 February 1972, with the large hill event taking place at Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium, and the normal hill event at Miyanomori Ski Jump Stadium.
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Walter Plaikner is an Italian former luger and coach of Austrian descent who competed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a doubles specialist, and competed alongside Paul Hildgartner. They won the gold medal in the men's doubles event at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo. Plaikner also competed at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, where he finished 11th in the doubles after suffering from a severe bout of flu. He retired from competition after the Games.
For the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, a total of twelve sports venues were used. A thirteenth venue which was a reserved luge course was constructed, but never used in actual competition. Construction on all of the venues used took place between 1968 and early 1971 in time for the test events. The Tsuskisamu Indoor Skating Rink was not completed until late 1971 or early 1972 because the number of teams scheduled to compete at the 1972 Games was not known. At the actual luge venue used, a malfunctioning starting gate during the first run led to the results being cancelled and rerun being ordered. The results of this event led to the only tie in Olympic luge history. The ski jumps at Miyanomori and Okurayama served as host venues for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships thirty-five years later.
The Doubles luge competition at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo was held on 10 February, at Sapporo Teine. A malfunctioning starting gate cancelled the results of the first run. Italy, whose doubles team of Paul Hildgartner and Walter Plaikner won the first run, protested to event officials the results should stand since all contestants had suffered equally, but to no avail. After the protest was denied, a rerun was ordered.
