LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Luge is the fastest sport on ice and breathtaking for fans watching the competitors whiz by face-up and feet-first on their fiberglass sleds.

It’s popular in Germany but rarely seen in the United States, except during the Winter Olympics.

While it’s not great news that NBCUniversal shut down Universal Sports Network last week, the home to luge and other Olympic sports, fans can still watch those sports on other NBC networks, such as NBC and NBCSN.

This season, four World Cup luge races will be on NBC, which has a partnership with the International Luge Federation (FIL) to provide live streaming on its website with an English language feed.

“It’s great news,” said Gordy Sheer, marketing director for USA Luge and 1998 Olympic silver medalist in doubles.

Sheer won his medal, the first by any American, with Marquette native Chris Thorpe, who also won bronze at the 2002 Olympics with Clay Ives.

USA Luge has been playing catch up to the Germans, who have dominated the sport for decades. The Germans won gold in every luge event at the 2014 Sochi Games. The headquarters for FIL are located in Berchtesgaden, Germany, in the Bavarian Alps.

“It’s great to see the FIL take the initiative,” Sheer said. “In the past, luge fans have had to go to various nefarious websites carrying pirated Eurosports streams, or bring in IP (Internet Protocol) blockers to watch German television. The good news is those days are over.”

Trying to make some headway, USA Luge chief executive officer Jim Leahy and board president Dwight Bell traveled to FIL headquarters in March and lobbied for two World Cup events in the United States.

Sheer hopes more exposure on the NBC networks and live streaming for mobile devices and tablets will draw attention to the sport. Also, USA Luge will have live feeds of training runs on Ustream, which allows parents to watch their kids.