Bobsleigh is a A winter sport is a sport commonly played during winter, usually a sport played on snow or ice. Famous Winter sport resorts Rocky Mountains Alps Snowy Mountains Karkonosze Mountains/Sudeten Norway Stowe, Vermont List of winter sports Ice skating See also team sports. Figure skating * Short-track speed skating * Speed... winter sport in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked purpose-built iced tracks in a gravity-powered, steerable For the cricket meaning, see Sledging (cricket) A sled, sledge or sleigh is a vehicle with runners for sliding instead of wheels for rolling. It is used for transport on surfaces with low friction, usually snow or ice but any grassy surface is good when it is not too dry... sled. In the The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America¹, the States, or (archaically) Columbia — is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii... United States the sport is known as bobsled.

The sport was invented in the 1880s in The Swiss Confederation or Switzerland is a landlocked federal state in Europe, with neighbours Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. The country has a strong tradition of political and military neutrality, but also of international co-operation, and is home to many international organisations. Confoederatio Helvetica (CH), the Latin version... Switzerland. The first races were run on snow-covered roads, with the opening competition in 1884 at St. Moritz (Sankt-Moritz) is a popular resort town in the Engadine valley in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. Popular pastimes include skiing and hiking, nearby there is also the world famous Cresta Run toboggan course. The year round population is 5,600 with some 3,000 seasonal employees... St. Moritz. The first club was formed in 1897 and the first purpose-built track was opened in 1902. A modern track should be at least 1500 metres long and have at least fifteen curves, speeds up to 130 km/hr are common and some curves can subject the crews to over five gravities. There are twelve top-level competition tracks in the world:

• Igls, Austria. 1,220 m, 98.10 m vertical drop, 14% maximum grade
• Calgary, Canada. 1,475 m, 121.2 m vertical drop, 15% maximum grade
• La Plagne, France. 1,507.5 m, 124.5 m vertical drop, 14.5% maximum grade
• Altenberg, Germany. 1,413 m, 122.22 m vertical drop, 15% maximum grade
• Konigssee, Germany. 1,250 m, 117 m vertical drop, --% maximum grade
• Winterberg, Germany. 1,325 m, 110 m vertical drop, 14.5% maximum grade
• Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. 1,350 m, 120.45 m vertical drop, 16% maximum grade
• Nagano, Japan. 1,762.3 m, 112.5 m vertical drop, 15% maximum grade
• Lillehammer, Norway. 1,365 m, 114 m vertical drop, 15% maximum grade
• St. Moritz, Switzerland. 1,722 m, 129 m vertical drop, 15% maximum grade
• Lake Placid, United States. 1,455 m, 107 m vertical drop, --% maximum grade
• Salt Lake City, United States. 1,340 m, 103.9 m vertical drop, --% maximum grade

Initially the sled teams were of five or six, this was reduced to two- or four-person sleighs in the 1930s. Sleds were wood but steel-runner sleds came into use from ????. Modern sleighs combine light metals, steel runners, and an aerodynamic composite body. Competition sleighs must be a maximum of 3.80 m long (4-crew) or 2.70 m long (2-crew), both have a maximum width of 0.67 m. The maximum weight, including crew, is 630 kg (4-crew) or 390 kg (2-crew) - metal weights may be added to reach these limits, as the greater the weight the faster the run, until the 1952 weight-limit rule bobsleigh crews tended to be very heavy.

A crew is made up of a pilot, a brakeman, and in 4-crew two pushers are added. Runs (lauf) begin from a standing start, with the crew pushing the sled for up to fifty metres before moving on board. Races are won and lost in the initial push.

The Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT) was founded in 1923 and the sport has been part of the A runner carries the Olympic torch The Winter Olympic Games, Winter Olympics for short but more correctly The Olympic Winter Games, are the cold-weather counterpart to the Summer Olympic Games. They feature winter sports held on ice or snow, such as ice skating and skiing. The Winter Olympics are... Winter Olympic Games since 1924. Initially just a four-crew event for men, the two-crew sled was added in 1932 and women's bobsled made its Olympic debut at the (Redirected from 2002 Winter Olympic Games) The XIX Olympic Winter Games were held in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Other candidate cities were Quebec City, Quebec, Canada; Sion, Switzerland; and Östersund, Sweden. Highlights Prior to these Olympic Winter Games, a number of I.O.C members were... 2002 Winter Olympic Games. 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. It has been designated: The World Year Of Physics 2005 The International Year of Microcredit The International Year for Sport and Physical Education Events January Worldwide aid effort continues to develop in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean... As of 2005 bobsleigh is split into men's and women's events, women compete in two-crew and the men in both two- and four-crew competition. The men's standing is calculated over the aggregate of four runs, the women's over two runs.

The The Swiss Confederation or Switzerland is a landlocked federal state in Europe, with neighbours Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. The country has a strong tradition of political and military neutrality, but also of international co-operation, and is home to many international organisations. Confoederatio Helvetica (CH), the Latin version... Swiss have been the most successful bobsleighing nation over European, World, World Cup, and Olympic championships.

The story of the Jamaica is a country in the Caribbean Sea, located south of Cuba and to the west of Hispaniola, on which Haiti and the Dominican Republic are situated. National motto: Out of Many One People Official language English Capital and largest city Kingston Monarch Queen Elizabeth II Governor-General Sir Howard... Jamaican bobsleigh team in the (Redirected from 1988 Winter Olympic Games) The XV Olympic Winter Games were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Olympics were highly successful, financially, as they brought in million-dollar profits. The games have left a lasting impression on the host city and gave it a new identity from a cowtown... 1988 Winter Olympic Games inspired the film Cool Runnings is a 1993 comedy film, directed by Jon Turteltaub. It is based on the exploits of the Jamaican Bobsled Team at Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the 1988 Winter Olympics. It stars Leon, Doug E. Doug, Malik Yoba, Rawle D. Lewis, and John Candy, who portrays a washed up... Cool Runnings.

See also: A luge is small one- or two-person sled on which one sleighs supine and feet-first. Steering is done by shifting the weight or pulling straps attached to the sleds runners. Luge is also the name of a sport which involves racing with such sleds. History The first... luge, Skeleton is an individual, sledding, winter sport where competitors drive the sled in a prone, head-first position down an ice track on a sled or sleigh. This differs from luge, where the rider drives the sled from a supine, feet-first orientation. This Olympic sport is also known as... skeleton, A toboggan is a simple sled used on snow, to carry one or more people (often children) down a hill or other slope, for recreation. Designs vary from simple, traditional models to modern engineered composites. The traditional toboggan is made of bound, parallel wood slats, all bent forward at the... toboggan

External link

• Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (http://www.bobsleigh.com)