Bobsleigh

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Governing Body:

International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF)

Bobsledding is a winter sledding sport in which two or four-person crew rides a bobsleigh on ice tracks. This sport was invented in the late 19th century when a steering mechanism was attached to a toboggan. In 1897, the first bobsled club was founded in St. Moritz, Switzerland after which the sport became popular in Europe’s leading alpine resorts. The sport got its name when some of the competitors used the technique of bobbing back and forth inside the sled to increase its speed. Bobsledding is a part of winter Olympics. The global governing body of bobsledding is IBSF, originally known by its french name Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT).

Objective

To win the race by reaching the finish line in the minimum time possible in a total of two/four runs (heats) as the team with lowest aggregate time wins.

Participants

Crews of two or four racers compete by riding the bobsled at the fastest speed possible for them. A bobsleigh crew consists of a pilot, a brakeman and two pushers (only in the four-man event).

Playing Area

Bobsled races take place on artificial ice tracks which are also used for the skeleton and luge races. These tracks are constructed with reinforced concrete and covered with layers of ice and are artificially refrigerated to cool the track down before the competitions except the track in St. Moritz, Switzerland which is naturally refrigerated. The artificial tracks are specially created with curved banks and sidewalls. These tracks are very smooth.

Bobsleigh tracks must have at least one straightaway and one labyrinth which is a section having three quick turns in succession. The tracks are usually 1200-1300 m long with at least 15 curves. Bobsleighs can attain speeds of around 150 km/h.