Above: Winston Watt in action
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Cool Runnings is back.
The Jamaican bobsleigh team has officially qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, with a two-man team comprised of veteran Winston Watts and Marvin Dixon, officials said.
While the team continues to struggle to find funding, it’s a significant event for a bobsleigh programme that has struggled in recent years.
“With our calculation, I think we are good,” Watt told Caribbean Journal on Saturday.
It is the first time the Jamaican bobsleigh team has qualified for the Games since 2002. It also qualified for the 1988, 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics.
Earlier this month, Chris Stokes, General Secretary of the Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation, told Caribbean Journal that it was Watt’s return from retirement that helped the team return to relevance.
There’s already an online drive to raise funding for the squad on the Web site crowdtilt.com, which has already raised $18,465.
The team says it needs about $80,000 for expenses to make the trip to Russia for the Winter Games, which officially begin on Feb. 7.
Of course, the team could still find a corporate sponsor, with some wondering why major sports companies like Nike and Puma haven’t already stepped in for what would seem like a natural marketing opportunity.
Now, the question is, if they get there, just how far they can go.
The Caribbean — and the world — will be watching.
Updated: Monday, Jan. 20 at 8:52 AM.