The whole world loves an underdog. Who didn’t love the story of the Jamaican bobsled team, the plucky guys from a little tropical country who qualified for the Calgary Winter Olympics 24 years ago?
They may not have brought home the gold, but they warmed thousands of viewers’ hearts and were immortalized in the film Cool Runnings (see the trailer here), with Canada’s own lovable John Candy playing the role of their coach.
Well, the Jamaicans have again qualified for three bobsledding events in the Beijing Olympics next month. Once again, they are making international news, and are being boosted with huge enthusiasm by Jamaicans near and far.
This time, though, the sport is being taken very seriously by Jamaican officials. And it's no cake-walk to the Olympics. With an Olympic-calibre sled costing in the neighbourhood of €140,000 – yes, that’s Euros – this is not an inexpensive sport.
At a news conference on Friday, the Minister of Tourism the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Chris Stokes, President of the Jamaica Bobsleigh Foundation, the Hon. Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, were among the senior government officials to formalize an agreement which includes significant financial support for the Beijing-bound team.
The quirky combination of bobsledding and a tropical country half the size of Nova Scotia caught the world’s attention back then and it is hoped it will again, raising awareness for Jamaican tourism - either for new visitors to the country, or to inspire past visitors to return. Bartlett pointed out that the island has a repeat factor of a whopping 42%, among the highest in the world.
As Minister Grange reminded the conference attendees, “In Jamaica we don’t have no snow!” Training for this year’s teams included snow-less compromises on the island such as pushing cars uphill. Stokes, himself a former Jamaican Bobsleigh team member, has his eye on the podium, perhaps if not this time around, then in a few years’ time.
During the conference, the official song of the initiative, "Rocket Blaster," debuted to rousing enthusiasm from those around the table. February is also reggae month in Jamaica, how perfect!
Once again, we can look forward to athletes representing a country where the ice is found only in drinks endearing themselves to people from around the world. Good luck, Jamaican bobsled teams!
