Bobsleigh, present at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, is one of the most spectacular disciplines of the Olympic Games. Here is all you need to know.
What is bobsledding?
Bobsleigh is a winter sport in which teams of two or four (men or women), seated in single file, perform timed races aboard a sled sliding down a narrow, sloping ice track.
What does the name bobsleigh mean?
The name “bobsleigh” comes from English. “Bob” means “to oscillate” and “sleigh” means a “sled”, a “luge”.
Note that the bobsleigh is also called bobsled, or even bob by abbreviation.
What is the maximum speed of a bobsled?
The maximum speed of a downhill bobsleigh is almost 150 km/h. Note that the speed reached before the athletes jump into the bobsleigh is around 40 km/h.
How much does a bobsleigh weigh?
The maximum weight of a bobsleigh (including the weight of the crew) is 390 kg for the men’s two-man bob (170 kg for the sled only), 630 kg for the men’s four-man bob (210 kg for the machine only ) and 350 kg for the women’s two-man bobsleigh (170 kg for the single apparatus).
When and by whom was the bobseigh created?
The bobsleigh was created in the Swiss alpine resort of St. Moritz at the end of the 19and century. The idea came from a group of English people on vacation in the resort who decided to go down an icy track in pairs on the same sled that one of the two would drive.
Subsequently, in order to avoid accidents between bobsleighs and hikers, a track was laid out in 1871. The Cesta Run, Saint-Moritz track, still exists today and has already hosted the Olympic Games.
What is the bobsleigh rule?
Participants must take part in the two days of competition, i.e. four runs, and all times are accumulated. The final victory goes to the fastest crew.
How do bobsledders enter the bobsleigh?
The bobsledders, equipped with shoes fitted with numerous spikes, push the sled, running beside it, for 50 to 60 meters. The pilot embarks first, the brakeman, the last. The bobsleigh is steered by the pilot with the fingers, using two rings attached by ropes to a steering mechanism. The brakeman sits in the back and activates two studs to stop the sled.
How long has bobsleigh been in the Olympics?
Bobseigh has been present at all the Winter Olympics since 1924.
What are the bobsleigh events at the Olympics?
The Olympic Games bobsleigh competition offers four events:
2 man bob
Bob with 2 women
4 man bob
monobob women