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Bobsleigh

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U.S. Olympic bobsleigh team USA-1 racing during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia.

Bobsleigh

Bobsleigh, also called bobsled, is a fun winter sport where people race down icy tracks in special sleds. Teams of two to four work together to go as fast as they can, using gravity to move. The sport is managed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation.

The first bobsleds were made in the late 1800s in St. Moritz, Switzerland, by visitors from Victorian Britain. They built sleds based on designs used by children and raced them down the town’s streets. The Cresta Run is the oldest track and has hosted the Olympic Winter Games.

Today, bobsleigh teams race to finish in the shortest time. The Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France, included bobsleigh in 1924. Two-person races started in 1932, and women’s racing began in 2002.

The word "bobsleigh" comes from how early racers moved back and forth in their sleds to go faster. Bobsleigh is exciting because teams must work together and use smart steering to win.

Images

A team of bobsledders from Davos racing down an icy track in 1910.
German bobsledders racing during the 1951 Winter Sports Championships in Oberhof.
A sunny view of the 1913 Saint-Moritz Bobsleigh Derby, showing athletes and snow structures during the competition.
A protective mask used by bobsledders in 1932, showing early sports safety gear.
A bobsleigh track in Altenberg, Germany where athletes race down icy lanes at high speeds.
Shauna Rohbock racing in the bobsleigh at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy.
Maeflower 2, a bobsled from the Nigeria Bobsled Team, ready for an exciting race!
U.S. athletes Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers race down the bobsled track during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Park City, Utah.

Related articles

Switzerland
France

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Bobsleigh, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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