THE Jamaican bobsled team may be headed to another Olympics. The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast.
Olympic organisers said yesterday that Jamaica has qualified for the two-man competition at the Sochi Games, though it remains unclear if the fledgling squad will get a chance to race. Funding is a serious problem and sled driver Winston Watts told The Associated Press yesterday he's trying to raise as much as US$80,000 in the next two weeks to cover travel and equipment costs. "Right now," Watts said, "we're at zero."
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| Winston Watts driving the Jamaican Bobsled in the two-man race. (PHOTO: DAILY MAIL) |
They are certainly among the world's most storied bobsled teams, and that has little to do with results. Jamaica first competed in Olympic bobsledding in 1988 at the Calgary Games, a story that inspired the Cool Runnings film. For a nation lacking bobsled tradition, or snowy winters, Jamaica has often fared quite well on the international circuits..
It's been 12 years since Jamaica has had a sled in the Olympics, with Watts finishing 28th at the Salt Lake City Games with Lascelles Brown — now a key part of Canada's national team. Brown won a medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games, one where the Jamaicans were hoping to compete, but were again thwarted by funding issues. more
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