Viktor Gertsch leaves Top OK Post With A Tear
The dinner held last night in the Mannlichen Berghaus above Wengen to mark the departure of Viktor Gertsch as the president of the Lauberhorn Races OK (organising committee) was packed with enough emotion to bring a tear to at least one eye: that of the man himself.
The traditional media dinner held on the eve of the Lauberhorn Downhill World Cup ski race has been a muted affair in recent years, with empty seats appearing to increase in number each January. Last night the place was packed to the rafters.
“My” table, it transpired, was reserved for the outgoing president, his media team (minus their Rhodesian ridgeback for once) and the deliverers of the valedictory speeches.
Praise for Viktor Gertsch's achievements were fulsome, concentrating on what he had done for the race since he took over the role in 1970 from his father, Ernst, who founded the race in 1930 and organised it 40 times in total. They also addressed how this had helped the town of Wengen and the Canton of Berne prosper as the race grew into the enormous attraction today.
I've never seen Viktor Gertsch cry before but as the eulogies upped the emotional ante he couldn't stop himself. He told me it was just one tear in one eye, but it was a moving sight.
See for yourself. And wonder if we'll ever see his like again. The smart money suggests he'll probably be at next year's media dinner...somewhere to the fore of the background...
In the meantime, the OK have confirmed the programme for today's Downhill Race, the big one of the weekend (no disrespect to yesterday's Super Combined or tomorrow's slalom; it is a matter of fact that it is the Downhill that pulls in the big numbers).
Racing is scheduled to start at 12.30h CET and if all goes according to plan, the top three will be conducting a press conference around 15.30h. Best of luck to all involved, in a race that the organisers have just this minute taken a decision to start from below Minschkante rather than the normal Lauberhorn start, suggesting to this non-skiing observer that the course is not in perfect condition.
Keen racegoers have been making their way out to the finishing arena in Innerwengen for at least the past two hours. Many, I suspect, will already be under the influence of one substance or another.
A stinking virus militates against my spending several hours in the cold so I'll have to give it a miss. The local version of Night Nurse, MediNait, I'm afraid, is just not doing what it says on the tin. Coughing all night is nothing if not debilitating.
