Luge Canada Strengthens National Team Coaching Staff with Addition of Inārs Kivlenieks
CALGARY– Luge Canada bolstered its national team coaching staff with the addition of internationally respected coach and technician Inārs Kivlenieks, who has been named the organization's new National Technical Coach.
Kivlenieks arrives to the Canadian team following a highly successful coaching tenure on the international stage, most recently helping guide the Latvian team to success at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Widely regarded for his expertise in sled preparation, race-day tuning and technical performance, Kivlenieks brings a wealth of experience that will further strengthen Canada's pursuit of podium performances.
"I am very excited to join Luge Canada to begin working with this talented group of athletes and coaches because I see great potential with this team," said Kivlenieks. "Canada has a proud history in our sport, and I look forward to sharing my experience while continuing to learn alongside the team. I believe we can build something special and get this program back into the medal fight at the highest level."
A three-time Olympic luge athlete, Kivlenieks represented Latvia at the Olympic Winter Games in Whistler (2010), Sochi (2014) and PyeongChang (2018). He also enjoyed success at the World Championships, winning team relay silver in Königssee in 2016 and bronze in Whistler in 2012, while posting a career-best ninth-place individual finish at the 2012 World Championships.
His international resume also includes multiple European Championship medals, including three team relay bronze medals and top five individual finishes.
"Inārs results speak for themselves so we are excited to add him to our coaching roster to provide the support Canada’s athletes require to achieve their performance goals," said Tim Farstad, executive director, Luge Canada. "He has earned a reputation as one of the top technical minds in our sport. His attention to detail, innovative approach and experience preparing athletes to perform under intense pressure on the biggest stages of our sport will be a valuable asset to our program as we continue building our program."
Transitioning into coaching following his competitive career, Kivlenieks has quickly established himself as one of the sport's leading technical specialists. His athletes have captured Olympic medals in both the team relay and women's singles, along with numerous World Championship and European Championship podium finishes and multiple overall World Cup titles.
Kivlenieks joins the team just two weeks after Luge Canada announced three-time Polish Olympian, Maciej Kurowski, will take the head coaching reins of the program on the track to France 2030.
Both Kurowski and Kivlenieks will immediately begin working with Canada's national team athletes and coaching staff as preparations continue for the upcoming international season and the road toward the 2030 Olympic Winter Games.
The Canadian Luge Association is a not-for-profit organization responsible for governing the sport of luge across the country. With the financial backing of from the Government of Canada, Canadian Olympic Committee and Own the Podium, the Canadian Luge Association safely recruits and develops the nation’s current and future high-performance luge athletes with the goal of regularly climbing onto the international podium. For more information on the Canadian Luge Association, please visit us at www.luge.ca on the Internet.