Großgmain (RWH) Altenberg (GER), Innsbruck (AUT) and Winterberg (GER) are the replacement venues for the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) races at Königssee (GER) in winter 2021/2022. The world's oldest artificial ice track in Berchtesgaden had been severely damaged in mid-June by mudflow following heavy rainfall.
"The images of the destroyed Lotto Bayern Eisarena Königssee, which like the whole region was a victim of heavy rain and mudflows, were a moment of shock for all of us," said IBSF President Ivo Ferriani. "Our thoughts are with the residents of the Berchtesgaden-Königssee region and those responsible for the track."
The German federation BSD is working towards getting the track ready for use again by the start of the 2022/2023 season. "But the human fates have absolute priority now," emphasises BSD board chairman Thomas Schwab. "We feel very much for the people in the district who have now lost a lot."
The Eisarena Königssee was scheduled to host the BMW IBSF World Cup, the IBSF Junior World Championships as well as the Europe Cup and Intercontinental Cup in the 2021/2022 Olympic winter.
The World Cup race will be moved to Altenberg and will take place on the date scheduled for Königssee (3 – 5 December 2021).
The new venue for the 2022 Junior World Championships Bobsleigh & Skeleton will be Innsbruck (AUT), the date will remain 17 - 23 January 2022.
The Skeleton Intercontinental Cup originally planned for Königssee will now be integrated into the event in Altenberg in the first week of January 2022. The Skeleton Europe Cup will be held in addition to the race of the series in Winterberg (16 - 20 November 2021).
