Section 4: Players & Officials
4.1 Competition Categories
- Men's Singles: One athlete per sled. Athletes must meet minimum age requirements (typically 16 for World Cup, 18 for Olympics) and hold a valid FIL licence.
- Women's Singles: One athlete per sled. Same licensing and age requirements as men's.
- Doubles: Two athletes on one sled, one lying on top of the other. The top athlete provides additional steering input through subtle body movements. Historically a men-only event, doubles is now designated as an open event by the FIL.
- Team Relay: One women's singles sled, one men's singles sled, and one doubles sled from the same nation. Athletes race sequentially.
4.2 Athlete Weight Regulations
To maintain competitive fairness, the FIL sets maximum combined weights (athlete + sled):
- Men's singles: maximum 115 kg (253.5 lb) combined
- Women's singles: maximum 92 kg (202.8 lb) combined
- Doubles: maximum 180 kg (396.8 lb) combined
Athletes below these limits may add compensating weight (lead ballast), secured to the sled or in an FIL-approved weight vest. The total may not exceed the maximum combined weight.
4.3 Officials and Jury
- Race Director: Oversees the entire competition, controls start intervals, and has authority to delay, suspend, or cancel runs for safety.
- Technical Delegate: FIL-appointed official responsible for equipment inspection, runner temperature checks, and sled weight verification.
- Track Chief: Manages ice conditions, maintenance crews, and track safety inspections.
- Start referee: Monitors the start procedure and signals any irregularities.
- Timing officials: Operate the electronic timing system, recording start, intermediate, and finish times to 1/1000th of a second.