From Lausanne, SUI
On Monday, the IBSF announced that Königssee, Germany will be host to the 2017 IBSF World Championships.
The Championships, originally to be hosted by Sochi, Russia, will be contested on the same race dates as originally planned (Feb. 13-26). Because Königssee will have already hosted a World Cup race, the required International Training Period will be waived, as stated in the IBSF rules.
In a statement released Monday, the IBSF said it was “very impressed by the solidarity and commitment shown immediately by the IBSF Race Organizers” in supporting the effort to move the race on what would be considered very short notice.
Reasons given for the move to Königssee in particular included the ability to keep the current scheduled dates, a minimal financial impact on national teams, and track availability.
This move is probably the best-case scenario for the IBSF. While there are other tracks not currently on the schedule for this year (Park City and Calgary, for instance), the move to Königssee makes the most sense for teams from a logistical standpoint.
Below is the full statement from the IBSF:
Following the recent decision by the IBSF Executive Committee to move the BMW IBSF Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Championships 2017 the IBSF had to select the location for the new host. Critical factors that were taken into considerations were:
- Minimal financial impact on teams regarding travel and organization
- Keep the dates and timing of the original schedule
- Experience on the operational and logistic level to host a 2-week event at such a short notice
- Availability of the track during the 2-week time period
The IBSF was very impressed by the solidarity and commitment shown immediately by the IBSF Race Organizers to support this effort in any possible way and would like to express its gratitude for it.
Most of the teams will be racing in Europe on the BMW IBSF World Cup Series just prior to participating in the BMW IBSF World Championships. Therefore, a European track was prioritized.
For those reasons, the IBSF selected Konigsee, Germany. BMW IBSF Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Championships 2017 Konigssee, Germany (13 – 26 February 2017).
The IBSF Rules wave the required International Training Period (ITP) if the Race Organizer hosted a World Cup competition on the same track in the preceding season. As this is the case for Konigssee, no ITP is required.
