A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face-up) and feet-first. A luger begins seated, propelling themselves initially from handles on either side of the start ramp, then steers by using the calf muscles to flex the sled's runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the pod. Racing sleds weigh 21–25 kg (46–55 lb) for singles and 25–30 kg (55–66 lb) for doubles. Luge is also the name of an Olympic sport that employs that sled and technique.
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of 2 to 4 athletes make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation.
Sledding, sledging or sleighing is a winter sport typically carried out in a prone or seated position on a vehicle generically known as a sled, a sledge (British), or a sleigh. It is the basis of three Olympic sports: luge, skeleton and bobsledding. When practised on sand, it is known as a form of sandboarding. In Russia sledges are used for maritime activities including fishing and commuting from island to island on ice.
Cool Runnings is a 1993 American sports comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub from a screenplay by Lynn Siefert, Tommy Swerdlow, and Michael Goldberg, and a story by Siefert and Michael Ritchie. It is loosely based on the debut of the Jamaican national bobsleigh team at the 1988 Winter Olympics, and stars Leon, Doug E. Doug, Rawle D. Lewis, Malik Yoba and John Candy. In the film, former Olympian Irving Blitzer (Candy) coaches a novice four-man bobsleigh team from Jamaica, led by sprinter Derice Bannock (Leon).
Lascelles Brown is a Jamaican-born Canadian bobsledder who has competed for three countries since starting his career in 1999. Competing in three Winter Olympics, he is the first Jamaican-born athlete to win a Winter Olympic medal.
Luge is a winter sport featured at the Winter Olympic Games where a competitor or two-person team rides a flat sled while lying supine and feet first. The sport is usually contested on a specially designed ice track that allows gravity to increase the sled's speed. The winner normally completes the route with the fastest overall time. It was first contested at the 1964 Winter Olympics, with both men's and women's events and a doubles event. Doubles is technically considered an open event since 1994, but only men have competed in it. German lugers have dominated the competition, winning 87 medals of 153 possible.
Several tropical nations have participated in the Winter Olympics despite not having the climate for winter sports. Partly because of that, their entries are a subject of human interest stories during the Games. No tropical nation has ever won a Winter Olympic medal.
Trinidad and Tobago sent a delegation to compete at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway from 12–27 February 1994. This was the nation's debut appearance at a Winter Olympic Games. The delegation consisted of two bobsledders, Gregory Sun and Curtis Harry. In the two-man competition, they finished in 37th place.
Armenia sent a delegation to compete at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway from 12–27 February 1994. This was Armenia's first time competing at the Winter Olympic Games as an independent nation. The Armenian delegation consisted of two bobsledders, the Armenian-Americans Ken Topalian and Joe Almasian. They competed as a team in the two-man competition, where they finished in 36th place.
American Samoa sent a delegation to compete at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway from February 12–27, 1994. This was the territory's first, and as of the conclusion of the 2018 Winter Olympics, only Winter Olympics they have competed in. The delegation consisted of two athletes, Faauuga Muagututia and Brad Kiltz, who competed in the two-man bobsleigh event where they finished 39th.
The Jamaica national bobsleigh team represents Jamaica in international bobsleighing competitions. The men's team debut in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games four-man bobsleigh in Calgary, Alberta, was received as underdogs in a cold weather sport represented by a nation with a tropical environment. Jamaica returned to the Winter Olympics in the two-man bobsleigh in 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2014, and 2022; a women's team debuted in 2018.
Winston Alexander Watts is a member of the Jamaica national bobsleigh team. He has competed in four Olympics, most recently the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Peter John Douglas Henry is a former New Zealand bobsledder and decathlete who competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics and the 1990 Commonwealth Games.
Jamaica competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia from 7 to 23 February 2014. The team consisted of a two-man bobsled, marking the return of the Jamaican Bobsled Team to the Winter Olympics after a twelve-year hiatus.
Joshua Bluhm is a German bobsledder.
William Bradley Kiltz is a former bobsleigh brakeman who competed for American Samoa at the 1994 Winter Olympics held in Lillehammer, Norway.
The Nigeria bobsled team or Nigerian bobsleigh team, represents Nigeria in bobsledding. The first team was established in 2016 by Seun Adigun, as a women's team for the 2-women event. In 2017, they qualified to be the first Nigerians at the Winter Olympics, and first Africans in bobsled at the Winter Olympics.
Jamaica competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from 9 to 25 February 2018, with three competitors in two sports.
Jamaica competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, from 4 to 20 February 2022.
The San Marino bobsleigh team represents the Republic of San Marino in international bobsleedding competitions.
