In the last two decades of the 19^th Century a new phenomenon appeared in the Alps – the bobsleigh – courtesy of British sportsmen who were searching for the extreme version of the toboggan. The first “bobs” were built in 1886 and were raced down icy, winding roads. Bobsleigh clubs were formed, the bobsleigh itself was developed and the need for purpose-built tracks and standardised rules became evident. The name bobsleigh was derived from the way early crews would rock back and forth to try and increase the speed of the sled.

Bobsleigh is one of the high profile sports at the Winter Olympic Games - the ‘Formula One race on ice’ as it is known. The sport has been part of the official program since the first Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix 1924.

The first Olympic competition was a four or five-man event. In 1928 this was changed to a five-man, only to revert to a four man event at Lake placid in 1932 when the two-man event was added to the program. Women's bobsleigh entered the program for the first time at Salt Lake 2002, with a two woman event making its debut. In Torino the women’s two-man event will increase from two heats to four heats held over two consecutive days.

During the last century technical regulations governing the design, weight, construction and dimensions of the bobsleigh have been introduced. In 1933 it was forbidden to heat the runners of sleds before competing and in 1947 competitors were forbidden from wearing shoes with “nails” in the soles to give them better grip at the start. Weight restrictions of crew members was also put in place after the 1952 Winter Olympics when the Germans won both gold medals with a combined crew weight of over 472.5kg in the four-man and 236.6kg in the two-man.

Bobsleigh consists of three events in the Olympic programme; the male four-man and two-man and female two-man. Each event consists of four heats, held on two consecutive days. The four runs are timed to 0.01 seconds. The final standings are determined by the total time over the four runs; the winner is the sled with the lowest aggregate time. If two teams complete the competition in a tie, they are awarded the same place.

In Torino, for the first time, 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.

A bobsleigh is a sled with four steel runners, one pair at the front and another pair at the rear. The runners are 270cm long for the two man and 335cm for the four man bob. A bob may have a cowled front end but must be open at the rear. Push bars protrude from the hull at the start of a race. Those for the second and third man in the four man event must be retractable.

Each bobsleigh has a harrow type brake which can only be applied at the finish. Braking during the race means automatic disqualification. The driver steers the bobsleigh by means of steering handles and cords attached to a steering mechanism for the front axle. He is only one with a clear view of the track, selecting the fastest line through the curves. The crew sit behind him, tilting their heads to round the curves more effectively.

Australia first competed in bobsleigh at Calgary 1988. There were two two-man teams and one four-man team. The two-man teams were comprised of Angus Stuart and Martin Harland, and Adrian DiPiazza and Simon Dodd, who placed 23^rd and 26^th respectively. The four-man comprised of Adrian DiPiazza, Martin Harland, Simon Dodd and Stephen Craig, who placed 23^rd.

Australia has been represented at every Games since Calgary with the exception of Salt Lake 2002. The best Australian two-man result was Jason Giobbi and Adam Barclay at Nagano 1998 placing 22^nd. Justin McDonald, Glenn Carroll, Scott Walker and Adam Barclay achieved the best four-man result of 20^th at Lillehammer 1994.

In Torino, Australia will be represented for the first time ever in the women's two-man. Meanwhile Jeremy Rolleston and Shane McKenzie will both make their Olympic debut in the two-man.  

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