Athletes from 13 countries attended a IBSF monobob training camp in La Plagne ©IBSF

Athletes from 13 countries attended a International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) monobob training camp in La Plagne in France.

The IBSF offered the monobob training camp for female athletes alongside a camp for male and female youth monobob and skeleton athletes. 

Athletes from Belgium, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Switzerland and Slovakia travelled to La Plagne to attend the camps. 

IBSF coaches former bobsleigh and skeleton athletes Elfje Willemsen of Belgium and Joska le Conté of The Netherlands were present, as was Ugis Zalims, a bobsleigh push athlete and pilot for Latvia until 2018.

Belgium's Elfje Willemsen, a former bobsleigh and skeleton athlete, was present at the IBSF camp ©Getty Images
Belgium's Elfje Willemsen, a former bobsleigh and skeleton athlete, was present at the IBSF camp ©Getty Images

The camp was guided by IBSF development coordinator Manfred Maier of Austria. 

It was announced last July that women's monobob would be added to the programme for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, becoming the sixth IBSF discipline at the Games.

This was despite the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation Executive Committee voting in favour of including four-woman bobsleigh rather than monobob, which President Ivo Ferriani was thought to prefer.

Monobob made its Winter Youth Olympic Games debut at Lillehammer 2016 and is due to feature again at Lausanne 2020, with both men and women competing.