About Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh racing was developed in search of the ultimate thrill by the 19th century.
Considered the world's first sliding sport, skeleton originated in the Swiss town of St. Moritz in the late 1800s. The first competition was held in 1884. Riders raced down the road from St. Moritz to Celerina, where the winner received a bottle of champagne. It wasn't until 1887 that riders began competing in the prone position used today. The sport took its name in 1892, when a new sled made mostly of metal was introduced. People thought it looked like a skeleton.
The sport's governing body, the Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et Tobagganing (FIBT), was founded in 1923. This competition has been part of the official program since the 1st Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix Mont Blanc in 1924
Bobsleigh Basics:
Bobsleigh consists of three events in the Olympic program. Men and women compete in two-man/two-woman, and skeleton events. Men also compete in four man.
There are slight differences between the men's and women's competitions.
The men's Olympic bobsleigh competition lasts over two days, with two runs staged on each day. The competition consists of four runs timed to 0.01 second. The final standing are determined by the total time over the four runs; the winner is the sled with the lowest aggregate time. If two teams complete the competition in a tie, they are awarded the same place.
The women's Olympic bobsleigh competition consists of two runs staged on the same day. Both runs are timed to 0.01 seconds and the final standings are determined by the total time over the two runs; the winner is the sled with the lowest aggregate time. If two teams complete the competition in a tie, they are awarded the same place.
Skeleton
Olympic skeleton events consists of two runs timed electronically to 0.01 seconds.
The two runs are contested on the same dan and the final standings determined by the aggregate time of the two runs. If athletes complete the competition in an tie, they receive the same award.