Concern for the future of bobsleigh: Friedrich on bobsleigh: “Just a waste product”

Status: 11/12/2022 11:13 am

Drastic words: Two-time double Olympic champion Francesco Friedrich predicts a bleak future for his sport of bobsleigh.

Four-time Olympic champion Francesco Friedrich is very worried about the future of German bobsleigh. “We’re becoming more and more a by-product of other sports: If an athlete doesn’t get any further in their original sport, they try their hand at us, mostly as a brakeman. But fewer and fewer people are switching to bobsleigh.”said the 32-year-old in an interview with “Welt am Sonntag” and added: “The time will come when there will be no more bobsleds. Our grandchildren will probably only learn about bobsleigh from the history books.”

Lack of reputation – no financial security

According to the Saxon, sport basically does not have a great reputation in society: “So why should you devote yourself to bobsledding, of all things, especially since you have no social security for life after sport in this sport either, despite the greatest successes?”

Search for sponsors is “Sysyphus work”

The fight for sponsors is difficult even for the exceptional athlete Friedrich, who was the first pilot to win double gold for the second time in twos and fours in Beijing. Despite his numerous records, he still hasn’t collected the 250,000 euros needed for one season. “It’s a real Sisyphean task. No one throws a penny at us, no matter what we’ve achieved. I’ve been bobsledding for 17 years and in all that time I’ve had one sponsor come up to me and give me an E -Mail wrote, ‘Come on, I want to do something with you’. One in 17 years!”reports the 13-time world champion from BSC Sachsen Oberbärenburg.

Nevertheless, he continues to burn for his sport and wants to win double gold for the third time at the 2026 Winter Games, and he is also aiming for the hundred mark in the World Cup victories.

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