Moritz Heidegger (4 December 1932 – 12 February 1956) was a Liechtensteiner bobsledder.

Life

Moritz Heidegger, who came from Triesen, took part in the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo. He competed in the two-man event with his pusher Weltin Wolfinger. However, the duo was in last place after the second of four runs and therefore did not start again.^[1]

Two weeks later, the two athletes started on the Olympic Bob Run in St. Moritz. During the race, the bobsleigh skidded and the track collapsed, as a result of which it overturned several times. Despite wearing a helmet, Heidegger was severely hit in the back of the head by the bumpers. The President of the Liechtenstein Federation, baron Eduard Theodor von Falz-Fein, immediately drove Heidegger to the hospital in Samedan. However, Heidegger did not regain consciousness and died a few days later. As a result, bobsleighing was temporarily banned in Liechtenstein.^[2]

References