Among those complaining on Twitter was Steven Holcomb, who won Olympic bronze for the United States in the two-man bobsleigh at last year's Sochi Games.

"Germans training on the 2015 @FIBT World Championship track while everybody else has to watch. Yeah, that's fair," Holcomb tweeted, adding a picture from trackside.

Tweets from other interested observers included: "So not fair!", "It only shows, they are afraid" and "only way they might win. Cheating bastards."

History favours the hosts as this unique German track prepares to hold FIBT World Championships for the fourth time from until March 8, as every event held during the previous three versions has resulted in gold for the home nation.

Lizzy Yarnold will seek to add a world skeleton title to the Olympic and European ones she already holds ©Getty Images


But history may yet be made by three Olympic champions from Britain, Russia and Canada - respectively Lizzy Yarnold, Alexander Tretiakov and Kaillie Humphries - if their outstanding form holds over the next fortnight.

Yarnold will seek to add a world skeleton title to the Olympic and European ones she already holds.

Tretiakov and Humphries are both set on extending their run of global victories after successive world and Olympic victories in the men's skeleton and two-woman bobsleigh respectively.

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