Bobsleigh

Bobsledding as a sport originated in Switzerland in 1888, when an American, Wilson Smith (who often visited relatives in Britain), connected two sleighs with a board to travel from St. Moritz to Celerina. Bobsledding was first practiced on the Cresta Run, at St. Moritz, but the run was not suitable for the faster bobsleighs, so a separate bob run was constructed there in 1904, the world’s first.

Bobsledding was on the programme of the first Olympic Winter Games in 1924, with a single event. In both 1924 and 1928, the event was one for sleds with either four or five men. In 1932, the present men’s programme of two events began, one for two-man bobsleighs, and one for four-man bobsleighs. At Salt Lake City 2002, women competed in Olympic bobsledding for the first time, in a two-women event. Women added a second event at Beijing 2022 with the monobob competition.

Bobsledding has been contested at all Olympic Winter Games, except at Squaw Valley 1960. Because of the travel distance to California, only nine countries indicated that they would enter bobsled teams. The Squaw Valley (Paradise Tahoe) organizers thus decided not to build a bob run and the sport was not held that year.

The sport is governed by the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF), which was founded as Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT) on 23 November 1923, in Paris, and renamed in 2015. As of 2024, IBSF has 74 national federations as members. The bobsledding federation currently also governs the sliding sport of skeleton.

Bobsledding has been dominated by the Germans, the Swiss, and the Americans, and, until 1992, the German Democratic Republic (GDR – East Germany). As of 2022, Germany leads the bobsleigh medal list with 32 medals (16 gold), followed by Switzerland with 31 medals (10 golds). If including East and West Germany, Germany overall would have 51 medals (22 golds). The United States come third in the medal list, with 28 medals (eight golds).

Four German bobsledders – Kevin Kuske, André Lange, Francesco Friedrich, and Thorsten Margis – have won four gold medals. Bogdan Musiol, who competed for Germany and East Germany, has won the most medals, with seven (only one gold). On the women’s side, Kaillie Humphries won two golds and one bronze for Canada, and returned at Beijing 2022 to win the Olympic title, now representing the United States. American Elana Meyers Taylor is the female Olympian with the most bobsleigh medals, with five, but none gold.