MAIN Sports Olympic Games Olympic Bobsleigh - Bobsled

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Teamwork, agility and breathtaking speeds best define the sport in which two or four-member bobsled teams push together to start down the straights - only to face some of the sharpest turns in sport at speeds of up to 135 km/h (84 mph).

Bobsleighing (or bobsledding as it is known in the U.S.) began in Switzerland as a gentleman's pursuit among the rich at 19th century ski resorts - the most famous of them at St. Moritz where the first bobsled club was formed in 1897.

Development of official rules and experimentation with different tracks eventually led to the sport being recognized at the 1924 Olympics at Chamonix. Two-man teams were introduced at the Lake Placid games in 1932.

Further development of the sport came with the imposition of weight limits on individual bobsled team members, and as fiberglass replaced the wooden sleds to increase speeds.

At the Winter Olympics, a driver and brakeman make up the two-member bobsled team with two pushers joining in for the four-member team. After four rounds, the team which records the fastest time wins.

Interestingly, if the sled overturns before the finish line, the race is still considered valid - but only if all team members remain inside the sled.

More about Olympic bobsled around the Web:

Bobsleigh - Vancouver 2010 - Sports history overview, descriptions of bobsleigh events, 2010 competition schedule, photo gallery.

International Olympic Committee - Bobsleigh - Overview of the bobsleigh competitions, list of events, Olympic records, Flash presentation, star athlete profiles, picture gallery.

FIBT Bobsleigh and Skeleton - Bobsleigh and skeleton history, current results and standings, athlete profiles and biographies, pictures, video clips, headline news.

USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation - Team history and profiles, results and standing, pictures, news, related resources.

Bobsleigh CANADA Skeleton - Official team site offering sport history, standings and results, pictures, athlete biographies, in English and French.

Washingtonpost.com - Everything You Need to Know About Bobsled - Report archived from 1994 with an excellent history and overview, bobsled trivia, animated illustration.

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