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The participation of the Jamaican women’s bobsleigh team at the on-going Winter Olympics is currently under threat; as troubles involving a coaching staff is threatening to mar their participation at the 2018 games. The Jamaican bobsleigh women, just like some other debutantes at the competition, are featuring in a Winter Olympics event for the very first time, however, their historical appearance may be thwarted by internal bickering, which involves losing the team’s sled, is currently rocking the Island nations bobsleigh federation (JBF).
The German ex-Olympic Champion, Sandra Kiriasis, who has been with the Jamaican women’s bobsleigh team, claims her role with the Federation was change which consequently forced her out, and she has said she is legally responsible for the sled. Reports suggest that Kiriasis wants to be paid for the sled, however, the Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation has declined to do so, insisting that she doesn’t own the sled.
An upset Kiriasis has said that it was her contacts and connections that led the team to secure the sled being contested. Kiriasis says “the athletes told her they don't understand why this has happened as they have no problem with her and they have a good relationship.”
“I've never known such disappointment in this sport, in my life”, 43-year old Kiriasis said.
The ex-Olympian Kiriasis, who was a silver winner at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and a gold winner at the 2006 Turin Olympics in the two-woman bobsled, said she had to quit the Federation after she refused the changing of her role, which was a ‘driving coach’, to a ‘track performance analyst; a role she said would give her no access to the athletes.
Despite the fact that the Jamaican ladies’, Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and Carrie Russell are gearing up to commence training on Saturday ahead of their heat in mid-week; the sled situation still remains unresolved. However, the JBF insist that the team would not be pulling out of the event and that Ms Kiriasis' departure will not affect the performance of the athletes at the games or impact JBSF.
The Jamaican women’s participation in the event on Tuesday and Wednesday would make them the first Jamaican women competitors at a winter Olympic, and they would be hoping to replicate the achievement their male counterparts achieved 30 years ago, when the Jamaica men wrote their names in history at 1988 Calgary Winter Games.
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