National Federation
Irish Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation
President: Mr Peter Donohoe
Email: [email protected]
Only the 20 best-ranked sleds will compete in the fourth run. Entries are limited to two sleds per nation. The starting order is decided according to the nation’s rankings on the World Cup.
The athletes push the bobsleigh reaching speeds of about 40km/h before they jump onto it. Once the crew is loaded, the pilot steers the sled through twisting, high speed turns and straightaways where top speeds can reach over 130km/h. The success of a team hinges on the initial pushing phase, as well as the steering and the materials of the sled (the sled and blades). Maximum sled weight of the combined team and equipment is specified, and the temperature of the runners measured prior to the competition to deter warming.
If the bobsleigh overturns, but all members of the team have passed the finish line inside it, the descent is considered valid.
Skeleton
Taking place on the same runs as the Bobsleigh and Luge the Skeleton is an event where the competitor pushes their sled away from the start before they lie down on the sled facing forwards and use their bodyweight to steer the sled. Competitors can reach speeds of up to 130km/h.
Irish Skeleton has had a representative in four of the last five Winter Olympic Games:
Brendan Doyle, Irish Skeleton High-Performance Athlete and current contender for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Seán Greenwood, Irish Skeleton High-Performance Athlete who competed in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.
Patrick Shannon, Irish Skeleton High-Performance Athlete who competed in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada.
David Connolly, Irish Skeleton High-Performance Athlete who competed in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy
Clifton Wrottersley, Irish Skeleton High-Performance Athlete who competed in the reintroduction of Skeleton as an Olympic sport at the Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Luge
A competition based on a sled that takes place on the same run as the Bobsleigh and Skeleton.
The competitor sits on the sled and pushes themselves away from the start via bars either side of them. They then lie on their back and steer the sled with paddles on the inside of each calf that are and elongation of the runners.
There are three gold medals decided for luge: singles and doubles for men and singles for women.
