The fastest competition in the Winter Olympics is luge. Invented in the Swiss Alps in the late 1800s, the thrilling, high-speed race has been a fixture in the Winter Games since its Olympic debut in 1964. That year’s Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria, featured a men’s luge event, women’s luge event and doubles luge event.
A team relay luge event, which includes both men’s and women’s competitors, was introduced at the 2014 Sochi Games. A women’s doubles event will be included in the Olympic program for the first time in 2026. Here is everything to know about luge at the 2026 Winter Games:
What is luge?
Luge is a winter sport where athletes race feet-first down an icy track while lying on their backs on a small sled. With no brakes, athletes use only slight movements of their legs, torso and shoulders to steer while traveling at speeds of more than 90 mph.
What are the rules?
Men’s singles: Athletes complete four runs over two days (two runs per day). A run begins once an athlete or sled breaks the start gate beam and ends when the sled fully crosses the finish line. The competitor with the fastest total time wins.
Men’s doubles: Teams of two athletes complete two runs in one day. The team with the fastest cumulative time wins.
Women’s singles: Athletes complete four runs over two days (two runs per day). Competitors start from a lower point than the men. The athlete with the fastest total time wins.
Women’s doubles (Olympic debut): Teams of two athletes complete two runs in one day. Competitors start from a lower point than the men. The team with the fastest cumulative time wins.
Team relay: Events are made up of one heat. Team relays combine women’s singles, men’s doubles, men’s singles and women’s doubles in one race. Once each portion of the team completes its leg of the race, an athlete hits a hanging touchpad at the bottom of the track, triggering the gate to swing open for the next sled. The team that has all four crews cross the finish line in the fastest cumulative time wins.
When are the luge events at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
Feb. 7, 2026
▪︎ Men’s singles – Runs 1 and 2
Feb. 8, 2026
▪︎ Men’s singles – Runs 3 and 4
Feb. 9, 2026
▪︎ Women’s singles – Runs 1 and 2
Feb. 10, 2026
▪︎ Women’s singles – Runs 3 and 4
Feb. 11, 2026
▪︎ Men’s doubles – Final
▪︎ Women’s doubles – Final
Feb. 12, 2026
▪︎ Team Relay – Final
Where will the luge events be held at the Winter Olympics?
The luge events will take place at the Cortina Sliding Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Who are the top luge performers?
Germany (including East Germany and West Germany) has dominated the luge events throughout history, winning 87 total Olympic medals, including 38 golds. As of 2022, Germany’s Tobias Arlt and Tobias Wendl lead the men’s competition, with six medals apiece, all gold. The pair won its third straight doubles title at the Beijing Games in 2022. German women’s athlete Natalie Geisenberger has won seven medals, including six golds, in four career Olympic appearances.
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