Winter Olympics Bobsled: What are the rules and score?
By Staff
Bobsled, or bobsleigh, is one of the more popular Winter Olympics sports, so what are the rules and how do they score to determine a winner?
The bobsled event has become one of the most popular Olympic sports, in part thanks to iconic movies like Cool Runnings chronicling the Jamaican bobsled team. There is a similar story inspiring fans this year, with Nigeria’s first ever Winter Olympians who are making the transition from track to bobsled.
But what are the scores and how do they determine the winner? Let’s break down everything you need to know about the bobsled competition.
First, there are three different bobsledding events: two-man, four-man and women’s (two riders). In Sochi in 2014, the rules were changed to make the four-man competition open to both genders, teams can have a mix of men and women.
Each competition has a driver and a brakeman, and two pushers in the four-man event. And in each competition, teams will have four runs over two days and the fastest aggregate time determines the winner.
Like skeleton, men and women compete on the same track for the same length. Luge has a different length for women. And like luge and skeleton, there are weight regulations (as you might remember from Cool Runnings).
From NBC Sports:
"The minimum weight for the sled including the runners and without the crew: 170kg (375 pounds) for 2-man bobsled, 210kg (463 pounds) for 4-man bobsled and 165kg (364 pounds) for women’s bobsled.The maximum weight for the sled including the crew, runners and other equipment: 390kg (860 pounds) for 2-man bobsled, 630kg (1,389 pounds) for 4-man bobsled and 325kg (717 pounds) for women’s bobsled.The sled minimum weight for women’s bobsled is 5kg (11 pounds) lighter than it was in Sochi."
Like skeleton and luge, riders must cross the finish line in the sled for the run to count, whether that’s on the blades or on its side. A crash that prevents a team from finishing the run results in a disqualification. If a pusher is sick, they can be substituted but “pilots” cannot be substituted.
Next: Best Olympian from each state
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