Bobsleigh

For the word-association game, see Bobsledding (word game).

Bobsleigh is a winter sport in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled. In the United States and Canada the sport is known as bobsled.

International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT). National competitions are often governed by bodies such as the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation and Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton.

History

The sport of bobsleigh was invented in Switzerland. The first races were run on snow-covered roads, with the opening competition in 1884 at St. Moritz. The first club was formed in 1897, and the first purpose-built track was opened in 1902.

The Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT) was founded in 1923. Men's four-crew bobsleigh appeared in the first ever Winter Olympic Games in 1924, and men's two-crew bobsleigh was added in 1932. Bobsleigh was not included in the 1960 Winter Olympics, but has been in every Winter Olympics since. Women's bobsleigh started in competition in the early 1990s, and women's two-crew bobsleigh made its Olympic debut at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Bobsleigh is also contested at World, European, and World Cup championships.

Switzerland and Germany have been the most successful bobsleighing nations over European, World, World Cup, and Olympic championships. The Swiss have won more medals than any other nation, and since the 1990s Germans have been dominant in international competition. Italy, Austria and Canada also have strong bobsleigh traditions.

Tracks

Ideally, a modern track should be 1200 to 1300 metres long and have at least fifteen curves. Speeds may exceed 130 km/h, and some curves can subject the crews to as much as 5 g.

There are thirteen top-level competition tracks in the world:

Austria Canada France Germany Italy Japan Norway Switzerland United States

Country	City	Length (m)	Vertical Drop (m)	Maximum Grade (%)
Igls	1 220	98.10	14	14
Calgary	1 475	121.2	15	14
La Plagne	1 507.5	124.5	14.5	19
Altenberg	1 413	122.22	15	17
Königssee	1 250	117	?	12
Winterberg	1 325	110	14.5	14
Cesana	1 435	117	9.2^†	19
Cortina d'Ampezzo	1 350	120.45	16	11
Nagano	1 762.3	112.5	15	13
Lillehammer	1 365	114.3	15	16
St. Moritz	1 722	129	15	13
Lake Placid	1 455	107	?	20
Salt Lake City	1 340	103.9	?	15

^† Average grade

Bobsleigh tracks are also used for luge and skeleton competition.

Sleighs and crews

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). The runners on both are set at 0.67 m gauge. The maximum weight, including crew, is 630 kg (4-crew), 390 kg (men's 2-crew), or 340 kg (women's 2-crew). Metal weights may be added to reach these limits, as greater weight makes for a faster run. (Until the weight-limit rule was added in 1952, bobsleigh crews tended to be very heavy.)

Bobsleigh crews once consisted of five or six people; they were reduced to two- and four-person sleighs in the 1930s. A crew is made up of a pilot, a brakeman, and (in 4-crew only) two pushers. Athletes are selected based on speed and strength, necessary to push the sleigh to a competitive initial speed at the start of the race. Pilots must have the skill, timing and finesse to drive the sleigh along the best possible line to achieve the greatest possible speed.

Women compete in two-crew events, and men in both two- and four-crew competition.

Races

Runs (lauf) begin from a standing start, with the crew pushing the sled for up to fifty metres before boarding. The runners of the sled follow grooves in the ice for this distance, so steering is unnecessary until after the sleigh exits the starting area. Races can be lost in the initial push but are rarely won there. Over the rest of the course, the sleigh's speed depends on its weight, aerodynamics, and runners; the condition of the ice; and the skill of the driver.

Race times are measured in hundredths of seconds, so any error can have a significant impact on the final race standings. Even small errors make for small decreases in speed and commensurate increases in time. Because any decrease in speed affects the sleigh for the remainder of the course, errors made high on the track will have a greater effect than those made closer to the finish.

The men's and women's standing are calculated over the aggregate of two runs. At the Olympic Winter Games and World Championships, all competitions (for either men or women) consist of 4 heats.

External links

Governing bodies

Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing, the world governing body.
Bobsleigh CANADA Skeleton, the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in Canada.
Jamaican Bobsleigh Federation, the national governing body for the sport of bobsled in Jamaica.
United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States.

National sites

Australian Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association, Australia's national team.
Österreichischer Bob- und Skeletonverband, Austria.
Confederação Brasileira de Desportos no Gelo, Brazil.
Bob- und Schlittenverband für Deutschland, Germany.
British Bobsleigh Association, Great Britain.
Bobsleebond Nederland, Holland.
Israeli Bobsled Team, Israel.
BobItalia, Italy.
Bobslejs LV, Latvia.
Norges Ake-, Bob- og Skeletonforbund, Norway.
Schweitzerischer Bobsleigh-, Schlitten- und Skeleton-Sportverband, Switzerland.

Other sites

2006 U.S. Olympic Bobsled Team bios
Calgary Bobsled Club, providing access to the track at Canada Olympic Park.
Alberta Bobsleigh, provincial team in Alberta, Canada.
Bobsledding Topics
Steel and Ice Project, Women's Bobsleigh Portal - providing information on Women's Bobsleigh.
Statistics

Winter sports | Olympic sports | Team sports | Bobsleigh | Racing sports

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