The Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Togogganing (FIBT) was founded on November 23, 1923 by the delegates of Great Britain, France and Switzerland, and the representatives of Canada and the United States, meeting at an International Congress in Paris, France.
The FIBT is an international non-governmental organization recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is made up of National Federation Members, Associate Members, and Honorary Members. National Federation members must be recognized by the National Olympic Committee in that country. The right to vote at FIBT Congresses is based on the level of participation in FIBT competitions. The FIBT headquarters is in Lausanne, Switzerland.
We are looking forward to an exciting 2009-2010 season that will culminate with the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada
As we look back to last season, we remember the weather which complicated the start of World Cup. The athletes, however, persisted through early cancellations and weather interruptions, and finished strong with the homologation and introduction of a new track at Whistler and a magnificent World Championships at Lake Placid.
The World Championships clearly demonstrated FIBT’s sporting strength. Medals were won by traditional and non-traditional nations. But equally important was the diversity and parity of the results and top 10 finishes by a variety of nations. Perhaps these results, more than anything else, speak to the maturity of our sports as Olympic disciplines, and the success of FIBT programs of offering opportunity to all—not just the privileged.
The strongest ever World Cup ratings and expanded internet streaming of FIBT World Cup and World Championship races were the highlights of the FIBT’s 2008-2009 activities for television and new media. The Intersport World Cup audience rose to 537.56 million viewers, the highest since the data was collected by the media research company International Sportanalysen GmbH. Combined with a World Championship audience of 131.64 million, the FIBT reached over 669 million viewers during the season.
Same day delayed streaming of FIBT races with English commentary was shown across the globe, with fans being able to watch the FIBT races on the internet for the first time in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The races are accessed through the FIBT web portal www.fibt.com with carriage in the USA by www.universalsports.com and in Canada by www.cbcsports.ca. The FIBT will continue an outreach to new media opportunities.
As we look ahead to February for the premier quadrennial bob and skeleton races, the athletes take center stage at the Whistler Sliding Centre. Olympic qualifying has gotten even more rigorous with the institution of the world rankings; only the best will gain entry, insuring the high caliber of Olympic competition.
Robert H. Storey
President
