Olympia in Tokyo is over.
During the competitions, the dream came true for many athletes of being able to take part in this major sporting event once in a lifetime.
This wish could now also come true for the stick athletes.
Peiting - The Tokyo Olympics ended about a week ago.
At the competitions in the Japanese capital, the dream came true for many athletes of being able to take part in this major sporting event once in a lifetime.
This wish could now also come true for the stick athletes.
"We took the 39th of 40 steps for it," reported Christian Lindner.
The Peitinger is the former president of the German Ice Stock Association and meanwhile president of the world association, the International Federation Icestocksport (IFI).
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially recognized stick shooting.
"We are now a permanent member of the IOC," said a delighted Lindner, who plays for TSV Peiting for the second men's team in the 2nd Bundesliga.
It is still unclear when the stick athletes will take part in the Winter Olympics for the first time. "It will probably be too tight in Beijing next year, but we'll try," said Lindner. The premiere at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo is more likely. But there is also a small question mark in this regard. Each host of the games may add a maximum of two new sports to the program. "But it could also be that only one is used for financial reasons," reports Lindner.
Another new sport for the Winter Olympics and thus competition for stick sports is natural tobogganing, which is extremely popular in Italy. “But stick sports are also very popular, especially in South Tyrol,” says Lindner, who also states that his sport does not cause any additional costs. “We don't need any new sports facilities, we use the existing ice rinks.” The Peitinger has already considered the ice rinks in Bruneck or Bormio, which would be suitable for his stick athletes at the Olympic competitions in Cortina d'Ampezzo. "And then we could also make a financial contribution," says Lindner, adding a share in the costs. “We are very easy to care for.” The World Association President is confident that he will be able to target the stave at the Olympics in five years at the latest.
