Hartmut Kardaetz Obituary, Death- Berlin (FIL/05/15/2023) In the early morning hours of May 15, 2023, Hartmut Kardaetz, who was 79 years old at the time, passed away in Berlin (Germany). Kardaetz was born on October 1st, 1943.
served as the first Executive Director of the FIL. Prior to that, he had worked in the former GDR as an official for the sports of luge and bobsleigh. Kardaetz was given the position of Secretary General of the Luge and Bobsleigh Federation of the GDR in the month of November 1978. During his time in office, which lasted until 1990, he was able to bring home multiple global and European championship titles in bobsleigh and luge, in addition to nine gold medals, one silver medal, and six bronze medals from the Olympic Winter Games.
Hartmut Kardaetz was appointed the position of first Executive Director of the International Luge Federation (FIL) in 1993. In this capacity, he was an integral part of the process that led to the establishment of the FIL office in Berchtesgaden. During his stint as president, which lasted for 17 years, the Team Relay event was conceived and eventually developed into an Olympic competition. Christoph Schweiger was appointed to the position of Executive Director of the FIL in the fall of 2010, succeeding Kardaetz in that role.
The Gold Medal of Honor was presented to the sports official at the 58th FIL Congress in 2010 in recognition of his many years of service to the organization. Hartmut Kardaetz has been an honorary member of the FIL ever since the 61st FIL Congress, which took place in Istanbul in 2013. “At the FIL office, Hartmut was the person I was most comfortable talking to and was my closest coworker. He was always trustworthy, extremely accurate, honest, and extremely knowledgeable.
We worked together very effectively for a number of years and maintained a cordial relationship throughout. Despite the fact that I was aware of Hartmut’s condition, I honestly believed that he would be around for at least a few more years. “I am deeply saddened by the passing of Hartmut, and I would like to express my sincere condolences to his wife Ingrid, his daughter Karin.
his son Olaf, and his grandson Jonas,” stated FIL Honorary President Josef Fendt. “I am deeply saddened by the passing of Hartmut.” “Throughout the decades, everyone in the Luge family knew and liked Hartmut, and he will be much missed by all of them. The whole FIL family extends our sincerest condolences to his friends and family, as expressed by FIL General Secretary Dwight Bell on behalf of the entire FIL community.
