Bobsleigh and Skeleton worlds moved to Germany

The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) announced on Monday that it had chosen Königssee as the last-minute replacement for Sochi.

A statement posted on the IBSF's website said the track was available during the two-week period that the championships had already been scheduled, and local officials had the required operational and logistical experience to successfully organize the event at such short notice.

It also said the fact that as most would be competing in Europe prior to the World Championships holding the events at Königssee would minimize the travel and financial impact on the teams.

The news comes less than a week after the IBSF announced that it had decided to withdraw the 2017 World Championships from Sochi. In that announcement, the federation was careful not to mention the evidence of systematic, state-sponsored doping contained in a second World Anti-Doping Agency-commissioned report by Canadian sports lawyer Richard McLaren.

What it did say was that "during this difficult time it is prudent not to organize such an event in Russia." It also called for "Fair Play and Respect, which also includes the assumption of innocence for any athlete, regardless of national affiliation, until proven guilty."

Russia has denied the allegations contained in the McLaren Report. 

Königsee has hosted the World Championships on four previous occasions, most recently in 2011.