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Fast paced from start to finish, every bobsleigh run begins with a test of explosive power as the athletes try to get the sled moving as fast as possible before jumping in.

Once inside, the athletes must immediately regain their composure and work together to maneuver down the course as quickly as possible.

Successful competitors are able to combine immense physical strength with lightening-fast reflexes.

Recruitment Camps are held in virtually every major city across Canada. Contact Bobsleigh Canada at http://www.bobsleigh.ca to find the one nearest you.

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Bobsleigh, as a single four-man event, has been an Olympic sport since the 1st Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix, 1924. In 2002 at Salt Lake City the first official women’s competition was added.

Currently in the Olympic program, bobsleigh competition consists of three events. Men and women compete in a two-person event, in addition to a four-man race. The men's Olympic bobsleigh competition lasts over two days, with two runs staged on each day.

The final standings are determined by the total time over the four runs; the winner is the sled with the lowest combined time. If two teams complete the competition in a tie, they are awarded the same prize.

The women’s competitions differ slightly from the men’s. In the women’s competition, the event consists of two same-day runs. Both runs are timed to 0.01 seconds and the final standings are determined by the total time over the two runs; the winner is the sled with the lowest combined time. Once again, in the event of a tie both teams are awarded the same prize.

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The bobsleigh was created in search of the ultimate winter thrill. A direct descendant of the skeleton, the bobsleigh was created in Switzerland by a group of Englishmen who aimed to create a sled that could carry two or more people down a snow-covered road.

The skeleton is considered the world’s first sliding sport as it began in St. Moritz, a Swiss town in the late 1800s. However, the sport didn’t get its name until 1892 when a new metal sled was introduced and people thought it resembled a skeleton.

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