Bobsleigh group. Bobsleigh - what kind of winter sport is it? Main competitions in this sport

Bobsled- a winter Olympic sport, the essence of which is a high-speed descent on a controlled sled (bobs) along an ice chute. Bobsleigh is popular among both men and women.

International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) is an organization that regulates bobsleigh and organizes international competitions.

The Russian Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation is an organization that promotes the development, popularization and promotion of bobsleigh and skeleton as a sport.

History of the origin and development of bobsleigh

Bobsleigh appeared thanks to the English tourist Wilson Smith, who in 1888 connected two sleighs and a board together, and on the resulting sleigh he descended from St. Moritz to the commune of Celerina. By the end of the century, the first bobsled club was created and the first rules were developed.

In 1903, the world's first bobsleigh track, about 1,500 km long, was built in St. Moritz and a special sled was designed, which was called “bob”.

In 1923, the International Federation of Bobsleigh and Skeleton (FIBT) was formed, which continues to develop the sport to this day.

The World Bobsleigh Championships have been held since 1924; in the same year, bobsleigh was included in the Olympic Games program.

Bobsleigh rules

At the beginning of the track, the team must accelerate the bob as much as possible, holding on to it with their hand. When achieved maximum speed acceleration, the whole team must quickly jump into the bob and take their places in it. It is allowed to change places in the bob while moving. The countdown begins from the moment the sled crosses the chronometer beam. The pusher and braker are usually chosen from physically strong, powerful athletes. In bobsleigh competitions, each team makes 4 descents, the team with the minimum time based on the results of four races wins.

The following is prohibited in bobsleigh:

perform without helmets;
have inconsistent advertising on helmets;
heat the runners in the bean.

Ice bobsleigh track

The track for bobsleigh competitions is an ice trough with a reinforced concrete base, which has turns and turns of varying steepness. The length of the route usually ranges from 1500-2000 m, the route must have 15 turns with a minimum radius of 8 m, and the elevation difference must be from 130 to 150 m.

Bobsleigh sled

The bob (as bobsled sleds are called) is a cigar-shaped crew body that is mounted on a steel chassis. Inside the bobsled there are seats for the crew, as well as a steering wheel and brake lever. The bob has two pairs of runners. Fixed rear and movable front, with its help maneuvers are carried out. Between the axles there is a brake rack. Based on the number of seats, beans are divided into double and quadruple.

The length of a double bob is 2.7 meters, a four-seat one is 3.8 meters
The weight of a double bob is no more than 165 kg, a four-seat one 230 kg.
The total weight of a crew of 2 people is no more than 200 kg, of 4 people no more than 400 kg.
The width of the bean is 0.67 meters.
The average speed of a bobsled is 135 km/h.

Bobsleigh Championships

The Olympic Games are the most prestigious international bobsleigh competitions, held once every four years;
Bobsleigh World Championships;
European Bobsleigh Championships;
Bobsleigh World Cup - a series of international bobsleigh competitions, based on the results of which athletes are ranked;

2016-06-30

There are different winter views sports and bobsleigh is considered the most spectacular of all. This area is included in the list of many competitions and even in the Olympic Games. This sport has its own rules and nuances regarding the route, equipment and sleds.

What is bobsleigh in sports?

This sports direction involves descending high speed along the ice track on an unusual sleigh. The winter sport bobsleigh is presented at Olympic Games. Both women and men can do it. There is the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (FIBT), an organization whose work is related to the regulation of bobsleigh and competitions.

History of bobsleigh

An interesting fact is that this species winter sports appeared in Switzerland, but was invented by the Englishman Wilson Smith in 1888. Initially, the idea of connecting sleds and boards arose for traveling from one commune to another. The history of bobsleigh tells that at the end of the century a club was already formed to train athletes. Here the basic rules of the new sport were developed, which were changed and supplemented from time to time.

Bobsleigh - rules

Competitions in this winter sport are held according to a certain number of rules:

Both women and men can participate in competitions on two-seater bobs, and only representatives of the stronger sex can participate in four-seater sleighs.
The winner is determined by the minimum sum of two or four descents.
The rules of the bobsled game indicate that all participants are divided into juniors and adults.
Sleds, aka beans, are manufactured strictly in accordance with the rules put forward by FIBT. Double models must weigh at least 170 kg, four-seater models must weigh at least 210 kg.
A mandatory attribute for an athlete is a helmet, without which they will not be allowed onto the track. For better acceleration, bobsleigh allows participants to wear shoes with spikes, which should be no more than 1 mm in length and no wider than 4 cm.
Before the start of the race, the temperature of the runners is measured, and the deviation from the established norm should not be more than 4°C. IN otherwise the team is disqualified.
A full list of requirements is specified in the FIBT rules.

What is the speed in bobsled?

This winter sport is considered extreme because athletes develop high speeds during the descent. The maximum that a four-seater bob can develop is 150-160 km/h, and for a two-seater sled the value is slightly less. The most high speed in bobsleigh this moment recorded at the Olympics in Sochi in 2010 - 149.18 km/h. The record was set by Russian Dmitry Abramovich. It is important to note that competition organizers, when constructing a course, can limit the maximum possible speed, for example, by using descents turning into ascents.

Bobsleigh sled

The descent along the ice track is carried out on special beans, consisting of a frame that is covered with a carbon fiber fairing and has two halves that are hingedly connected. Thanks to the use of a hinge joint, a bobsled sled can overcome turns while pressing all four skates to the ice surface. The movable front pair of skates is connected to the steering wheel, and the second one is fixed and has a brake. There are seats inside the structure.

Bobsleigh competitions and training involve right choice skates that are different types. They are selected according to the weather, temperature, design and condition of the route. Don't forget that the bob is a gravitational projectile, so the heavier it is, the faster its speed will be during its descent. To prevent the athlete from manipulating this, bobsleigh has strict regulatory restrictions. The bob comes into motion thanks to the push produced by the athletes themselves.

Bobsleigh track

The descent is carried out along a special route - a chute covered with ice with a base made of reinforced concrete, and with turns and turns of varying steepness. Interestingly, there is only one natural track, located in St. Moritz. Main parameters of the route:

In most cases, the length is in the range of 1.5-2 thousand m, but there are longer options.
Not only the shape of the bobsleigh track is important, but also the number of turns, which should be at least 15 with a radius of at least 8 m and a height difference of 130 to 150 m.
In addition, the route must have at least one straight section and a labyrinth, including three turns, following each other without a straight section.
The bobsleigh track is designed so that after covering the first 250 m, the athlete picks up a speed of 80-100 km/h.

Bobsleigh - World Cup

This winter sport is represented in some competitions:

The World Cup includes a series of international competitions involving women's and men's teams. Stages take place throughout the season and are often between November and February. Athletes compete on different tracks in five races. On average, the duration of the stage is a week. Bobsleigh was first introduced at the World Cup in 1984. No pilot has yet been able to win these competitions more than two times in a row.
Bobsleigh was first introduced to the World Championships in 1930. At first, only men on four-seater sleds participated in this competition, but a year later athletes on two-seater bobs were also allowed. Women began to take part in this type of competition in 2000. In 2004, it was decided to combine the bobsleigh and skeleton championships.
Bobsleigh has been represented at the Olympic Games since 1924. Initially, women were not allowed to participate in such competitions, but the situation has changed since October 1999. Each type of bobsled program runs for two days, with two races per day. No more than two crews per country can participate in each program. Three sets of awards are up for grabs at the competition.

Bobsleigh - champions

At the time of the birth of this winter sport, the British were the leaders, but after that their place was taken by the Americans. After the sport of bobsleigh became professional, the situation changed. Athletes from Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria began to become champions, that is, those who live in countries where there are conditions for regular training. In the entire history of bobsleigh, Swiss athletes have earned the maximum number of medals. Today, leading positions are occupied by representatives of Russia, America, Germany and Switzerland.

Bobsled

Bobsleigh (from the English obsleigh, bobsledding - sled for riding from the mountains) is a winter Olympic sport, which is downhill from the mountains along specially equipped ice tracks on a steerable sled called a bob.

The first beans looked quite funny: a car steering wheel, with a crew sitting or lying behind it on an open bench.

The birthplace of bobsleigh is Switzerland. In 1888, English tourist Wilson Smith connected two sleds with a board in order to go down a snowy mountain.

And in 1903, in the Alps, at a Swiss ski resort, the world's first bobsleigh track, about 1,500 meters (1.5 km) long, was built, a special bob sled was designed, and the basic rules of competition in this sport were developed. The sleigh crew then consisted of five people - three men and two women.

Bobsleigh became widespread in a number of European countries, where competitions and then national championships in this sport began to be held.

If in the first years of the existence of this sport, bobsled sleds were made mainly of wood, today the body of the bob is made of fiberglass, aluminum and even from a special, especially durable material, Kevlar, which is five times stronger than steel, but very light!

The designs of modern bobs are developed in accordance with the achievements of science and technology, their new samples are tested in wind tunnels, so bobsleigh is an extremely expensive sport.

The streamlined all-metal body is mounted on a steel chassis, the main components of which are a rotating front axle and a fixed rear axle.
The movable front axle allows the pilot to control the sled flying along the chute at speeds significantly exceeding 130-150 km/h.

Between the front and rear axles there is a brake made of especially strong steel in the form of a comb, which allows you to stop the bob if necessary.

The front part of the bob is called the nose cone, Weight Limit the sled is about 630 kg.
Intensive research into creating ever faster beans is of such interest to competing countries that their representatives often steal the secrets of the most promising designs and components from each other.

In modern bobsleigh, two-seater (double) and four-seater (quadruple) bobsleds are used.

The bobsleigh track is an ice trench on a reinforced concrete base, with turns and turns of varying steepness.

The walls of the gutter are covered with a layer of natural or artificially frozen ice.

The main member of the crew is the pilot-helmsman, he has the authority of the team captain. In a bob, the steering wheel is located in front and controls the front axle using two rings connected by cables to the front skids. The steering requires great skill to accurately fit into turns without touching the walls of the chute, because any friction sharply reduces the speed of the bob and worsens the final result.

Sitting in the tail of the body, the brakeman is responsible for stopping the bob and actuates the brake rod in time.

In the middle of the four-seater bob there are two pushers, who first perform an important job for the entire descent: they accelerate the bob at the start. But during the descent itself, they serve only as a “reasonable” load and are displaced in right side on the next bend, bending as low as possible and hiding their heads to reduce drag.

The pusher and braker are usually chosen from physically strong, powerful athletes, because the bean weighs 600 kilograms! As a rule, before bobsleigh, many of them were involved in weightlifting.

The final results in bobsleigh competitions are determined by the speed gained by the crew at the starting acceleration section - before boarding the sled. Therefore, during training, bobsledders roll heavy carts and learn to quickly jump into a bob. At a distance, the result depends, first of all, on the skill of the pilot - the helmsman, on his ability to follow the most optimal trajectory, overcoming turns and bends with the least loss of speed, because bobsleigh tracks are very winding!

Rules

Athletes over 18 years of age can take part in bobsleigh competitions.
Before the start, at the top point of the chute, the bob is accelerated by the team, who jump on board and take their places after the sled picks up speed.
The timing begins when the front runners cross the starting line.

All team members are required to have helmets; their uniforms are made of a special fabric that reduces air resistance when moving, as well as knee pads and goggles.

If a team member is injured during a competition, he may be replaced by another.

If the sled is damaged during the competition, it may be replaced by another bob of the same type, at the discretion of the judges.

The soles of the team members' shoes, which are checked by the judges before the start, have up to one hundred microspikes, allowing athletes to accelerate the sled without slipping on the icy start surface.

In bobsleigh competitions, each team makes 4 descents, the winner is the one whose total time (over all 4 descents) is minimal.

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The popularity of bobsleigh is constantly growing. Teams from 60 countries are currently participating in the competition. There are even teams from Africa and countries with hot climates, such as the Antilles (Caribbean islands), Israel, Bermuda, India, Mexico, Lebanon, Trinidad and Tobago.

Until 2002, competitions were held only among men. But at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, women took part in the double bob race. Currently, bobsleigh competitions are held for both men and women.

In 2006, at the Olympics in Turin, Russian athletes Alexander Zubkov and Alexey Voevoda became fourth in the bobsled doubles race, and this pair was able to set a speed record for acceleration at the start.

The German team won the four-man bean competition at the Turin 2006 Olympics, the Russians - Alexander Zubkov, Philip Egorov, Alexey Seliverstov, Alexey Voevoda - came second.

In 2008, for the first time in the history of bobsleigh, Russian crews twice stood on the podium at the World Bobsleigh Championships. Alexander Zubkov and Alexey Voevoda received their first bronze medal in their careers for their performance in double bobs, and on the last day of the championship, Zubkov and accelerators Dmitry Stepushkin, Dmitry Trunenkov and Roman Oreshnikov won silver medals in fours.

But according to the results of the 2008-09 season, the strongest bobsledders in the world are the Germans, led by three-time Olympic and eight-time world champion Andre Lange.

__________________

From Alexander Zubkov’s interview with New Izvestia (2008):

- What is more difficult for you to lead - a bob-two or a four?
- Perhaps a deuce. Due to the mass of subtleties, it is very difficult to make the car move and gain speed. The same Germans say: if you know how to drive a two-seater bob, mastering a four-seater is much easier. Success in doubles in bobsleigh is the most prestigious, because any mistake and you’re immediately put into skid.

Do you get scared? They say that Michael Schumacher once tried to climb into a bob, and then said that his legs were shaking at the finish line.
- Any person is scared in a moment of danger.

But you’ve been taking risks for so many years.
- I’ll tell you this: if someone says that it’s not scary, then it’s strange.

What are you afraid of - turning over, flying out of the gutter?
- No, I’m afraid for the people I’m carrying behind. I am responsible for them, I have no right to make a mistake. But if the pilot’s only feeling is fear, it is better not to perform.

- And if you realize that you made a mistake on the track, can you have time to correct it?
- In a two, you can put it skid. The car is light, so it's nimble on turns.
And if you make a mistake in the top four, that’s it. It is heavier, the speed here increases by inertia, there is no other way.
Some people wonder how anyone can steer it at all. And, it’s true: you only look forward, as if in a tunnel.
But, of course, safety precautions are not forgotten in our sport either. Maybe they are even playing it safe a little. Previously, for example, the track in St. Moritz was watered so that it would freeze better, but now it is simply sprayed. And you drive on snow, not ice. The track is very long, and on bare ice the beans developed enormous speeds.

And if, God forbid, you turn over at that moment.
- In bobsleigh, of course, there are unique injuries. The most dangerous are ice burns. Imagine: you fall on your head - and it turns out that you are being pulled out of the shell, and your shoulders rest against the ice. At this speed, all the skin is erased. The face is protected by a helmet, but on the body the fabric of the overalls is thin, and wounds appear that take a long time to heal. Treatment after an ice burn takes three to four months, or even six months.

_______________________

Modern bobsleigh is called winter “Formula 1”. This is a sport of high technology and equally high speeds. When descending, the speed of the bob along the ice chute reaches 140 km per hour. The overloads of athletes during turns are comparable to the overloads of airplane pilots! That’s why bobsledders and helmsmen are called “pilots.”

Downhill racing down an icy chute is often very dangerous, and injuries to athletes in this sport are not uncommon.

So, on November 23, 2009, on the bobsleigh track in the German city of Königssee, during a training run, two bobs collided with Russian athletes. The male double crew crashed into the female double crew.
Accelerating bobsledder Irina Skvortsova received serious injury spine, three other bobsledders - participants in the collision, Nadezhda Filina, Evgeniy Pashkov and Andrei Matyushko, also received serious injuries.
The German criminal police are investigating the incident, since the judge who gave the start to both crews at the same time is to blame for the incident.
Irina Skvortsova is still in a coma. A group of Russian doctors has been sent to the clinic in Königssee, where Russian bobsledder Irina Skvortsova is being treated. They help their German colleagues treat an athlete who is undergoing multiple operations.

Sport

(speech at the pedagogical council)

Barannik Dmitry Nikolaevich
Trainer-teacher
MBOUDOD YOUTH

Awkward movements on the beans

Bobsleigh is one of the Olympic events sport, which is a downhill race on special, controlled sleighs called “bobs”, along ice tracks specially equipped for this purpose.

The name bobsleigh itself comes from the English verb bob - strange, awkward to move and sleigh - sled, ride on a sled.

Story

Like many winter sports, bobsleigh originates from Switzerland, where wealthy mountain resort guests were constantly coming up with all sorts of funny things for their own entertainment.

Sleighs, of course, have been known to people for a long time, but the construction of such a device as a bob only occurred at the end of the 19th century. True, the versions of the appearance of this device are different.

According to one of them, the English tourist Wilson Smith connected two sleighs with a board and, using such a structure, traveled from the Swiss resort town of St. Moritz to the village of Chilerina located below, apparently due to laziness, not wanting to get there like everyone else normal people, skiing or something else.

There, in St. Moritz, at the end of the 19th century. The world's first bobsleigh was organized sport Club, where the basic rules of competition in this sport were developed, and the sleigh crew then consisted of five people - three men and two women. Subsequently, the number of bobsleigh crew members varied - two, four, five, and sometimes eight people.

According to another version, the lazy Englishman has nothing to do with it - it’s all about the Swiss themselves, who came up with the idea of attaching a turning mechanism to the toboggan, that is, to such Indian wooden sleds without runners...

Be that as it may, bobsleigh soon became very fashionable in equally fashionable European resorts. The first bobsleigh club was founded in 1897 in St. Moritz. The world's first special sled, the “bob,” was designed in 1904.

According to this fascinating and dangerous species Sports competitions and national championships even began to be held. The pioneers in this were Austria and Germany, where bobsledders from all over the country could compete with each other already in 1908 and 1010. respectively. By 1914, competitions were held on a variety of ice tracks and athletes never tired of experimenting.

However, bobsleigh remained amateur and semi-professional until 1922. And in 1923, a significant event occurred for bobsledders around the world - their favorite sport was recognized as professional.

To commemorate this, the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation was even founded. And soon preparations began for the inclusion of bobsleigh (namely, a variety with four athletes) in the program of the 1924 Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix. The pairs event was officially introduced at the Olympic Games in Lake Placid in 1932.

For a long time, bobsleigh remained a sport for the elite - that is, for young and rich lovers of adventure and thrills. The cream of society, vacationing on various ski resorts, they didn’t even really train - they simply bought or rented a sled (which, of course, was difficult for the average citizen with an average salary), went down the track a couple of times as a co-pilot, and then, having understood the principle of control, took it upon themselves .

Only in the 50s did this sport begin to acquire modern features. Bobsledders realized the importance of the run-up before the start, and therefore began to attract representatives of other sports to their teams who could provide a powerful push. Soon many handball players, track and field athletes and gymnasts became interested in bobsleigh.

And in 1952, a rule was introduced limiting the weight of participants, and thus for fat people, due to their mass alone giving greater acceleration to the bob, this sport was closed. But it is open to athletes who brought the necessary professionalism to bobsleigh.

Since then, bobsleigh has continued to develop, keeping pace with scientific and technological progress, improving tracks and equipment, as will be discussed below.

The International Federation of Bobsleigh and Toboggan - FIBT was founded in 1923. Unites more than 50 national federations. Word toboggan, mentioned in the name of the Federation is a tribute to tradition, describes the useless wooden sleds common among the Indians of Canada, which, in a slightly modified form, began to be used as Sports Equipment.

At the beginning of the 20th century there were official competitions on the descent from the mountains on a toboggan. Then this word was traditionally preserved in the name International Federation FIBT, which is still in charge of the development of bobsleigh in the world, although at present this sport has replaced skeleton.

The World Bobsleigh Championships have been held since 1924. Bobsleigh has been included in the Winter Olympics program since 1924.

Then the competitions were held on four-seater sleds, in 1928 - on five-seater sleds, and since 1932, competitions have been held on two- and four-seater sleds.

Until 2002, competitions were held only among men. But at the Salt Lake City Olympics (2002 Winter Olympics), women took part in the double bob races.

In every room Olympic program The country is represented by no more than three crews. Places are determined by the sum of the times of two races.

At the World Championships and Olympic Games there are 4 races, and places are determined by their sum. The starting order for the first heat is determined current rating FIBT.

In the third heat, they start from the best crew to the worst, and in the fourth, from the worst (over three heats) to the best, with only the 20 best crews participating in the last heat. Thus, the main contenders for victory will start last.

Until mid-80s largest competitions for bobsledders there were European and World Championships, and, of course, the Olympic Games. However, from that time on, the World Cup began, the numerous stages of which added intensity to the rivalry between bobsledders.

Well, to end our not-so-brief historical excursion on a happy note, let us inform you that in the early 90s, a significant omission was corrected in bobsleigh - for the first time, female bobsledders began to participate in the competition.

Equipment

It is not difficult to guess that for bobsleigh, first of all, you need a bob, that is, a specially designed device that gave the name to the sport. The world's first bean appeared in 1904, and it was made of wood. More than a hundred years have passed since then, and the appearance of the bean has changed radically.

Modern bobsleigh sleds are made of an all-metal body with a streamlined shape (to ensure the aerodynamics of the projectile), to which two pairs of skate runners are attached. The front pair of skates is movable and connected to the steering wheel, while the rear pair, equipped with a brake, is stationary. Although throughout the history of bobsleigh, the number of athletes in one bob varied from 2 to 5 (some teams even consisted of three men and two women - “a crazy situation,” as one American youth movie said).

Today, beans come in double and quadruple sizes. Each sled must meet very strict standards. Thus, a double bob should not be longer than 2.7 m and not exceed 165 kg, and a four-seat bob should not exceed 3.8 m and 230 kg. The rear pair is stationary with a brake. Two-seater (“deuce”) and four-seater (“four”) bobsleds are used. The length of the pair is no more than 2.7 m, the weight is no more than 165 kg, and the weight of the crew is no more than 200 kg. The length of the four is no more than 3.8 m, the weight is no more than 230 kg, and the weight of the crew is no more than 400 kg.

There are an unimaginable number of other rules, including chemical composition skids (for example, they should not contain radium), their temperature, the use of lubricants (which is prohibited), special parameters and weighing procedures, and much, much more, which would take a lot of time to list.

Today, the IBSF federation strictly regulates the technical support capabilities of teams. The rules for the 2011-2012 season, for example, state that bob runners must be made from specially licensed materials at specially licensed enterprises, each pair of runners must have a serial number, which is checked before each official start.

In addition, the federation limits the number of runners used by one rider per season. All this is done with the aim of ensuring equal basic opportunities for all participants in official competitions

The bobsleigh track is an ice trench on a reinforced concrete base, with turns and turns of varying steepness. The length of the route is 1500-2000 m with 15 turns of a minimum radius of 8 m, and the elevation difference is from 130 to 150 m.

The length of bobsleigh tracks, the difference in elevation between start and finish, and the number of turns and turns are not constant. For example, in Lake Placid in 1932, the length of the track was 2366 m, the vertical difference was 228 meters, and there were 26 turns and turns on the track.

In Lillehammer, in 1994, bobsledders competed on a 1,365-meter track with a 107-meter vertical drop and 16 turns and bankings.

Still final results in bobsleigh competitions, they are determined by the speed gained by the crew at the starting acceleration section - before boarding the sled; during the distance, the result depends primarily on the skill of the pilot - helmsman, on his ability to follow the optimal trajectory along the track, overcoming turns and bends with the least loss of speed.

Naturally, you can’t make porridge with beans alone. The second main element of this sport is the downhill track. It is nothing more than an ice trench fixed on a reinforced concrete base, consisting of turns and bends varying in steepness.

Today, strict compliance standards for the bobsleigh track have been developed. Its length is 1500-2000 meters, which includes 15 turns with a minimum 8-meter radius.

By the way, during the descent, the bob can reach a speed of about 135 km/h in just 60 seconds, while the athletes have a very hard time - during this they experience four times the force of gravity.

A bobsleigh team consists of a pilot, that is, the person directly controlling the bob, and a brakeman, that is, the athlete sitting behind and responsible for braking.

The team of four, in addition to the indicated characters, includes two so-called pushers, who, in fact, are engaged in pushing the bob, and during the race they maintain the balance of the projectile (they shift the mass back and forth, that is, as yachtsmen would say, they tilt).

In addition to the basic elements, bobsledders need special suits, which at the same time should protect athletes from the cold, but not cause overheating, conduct enough air and at the same time be lightweight.

Today, such suits use specially developed material designed for active pastime in extreme temperature and atmospheric conditions. bobsleigh sport olympic

And, of course, we must not forget about helmets, especially considering that not very lucky athletes sometimes have to do part of the descent literally on their heads. Now they are also made from a special material, which, thanks to a unique technology, absorbs shock as much as possible and does not weigh very much

The shoes worn by bobsledders are also not simple - the soles have spikes for better repulsion from the ice, however, they should not be thicker than 1 mm, longer than 4 mm and located no closer than 3 mm from each other (yes, in bobsleigh, nothing is really simple) .

Rules

At the Olympics, each team must complete 4 races. To keep everything fair, the order of starts in each race is determined by a simple draw. After the end of the races, the results are summed up and the winners are those with the shortest total race time.

By the way, no more than two crews can compete from each country. In terms of rules, everything is quite simple.

World leaders

At the dawn of bobsleigh, the leading positions in it were occupied by the British, and then by the Americans. However, when bobsleigh became a truly professional sport, the situation changed somewhat. Dominance has been consolidated in those countries in which the conditions for

training and development of bobsleigh were the best, because it is logical that representatives of, say, Cameroon or Kenya will achieve excellent results in this sport.

In addition, representatives North America, that is, residents of the United States and Canadians maintain and strengthen their achievements. True, Swiss athletes were especially successful in their field - in the entire history of bobsleigh they won the largest number of medals.

Today, new players are also entering the scene, for example, Russia has broken into the top three, whose men's four is in second place this season, and their men's two is third.

In addition, Russian bobsledder Alexander Zubkov takes third place in the individual competition (American Todd Hayes and German Andre Lange are ahead of the Russian). This is in the twos competition, and in the fours the second and third places are the same, and the Austrian bobsledder Martin Annen sits in first.

Well, the first places are occupied by the USA, Germany and Switzerland, replacing each other in this honorable position. In doubles, the German team is in the lead with 365 points, the Yankees are second (350), and the Russian duo has 279 points.

And among the four, the leader is Germany (360 points), followed by Russia (330 - I would like to add, everyone...), and third place is occupied by four guys from Switzerland (325 points).

For women, the situation is approximately the same, although there are no rich bobsleigh traditions, because ladies began performing only in the 90s, and women’s doubles were included in the Olympic program in 2002.

In first place in the individual competition is German Sandra Kiriasis (400), second is Shauna Robock from the States (330), and third is yet another fearless American Jane Prum (285). As for the national teams, Germany has 400, the USA 350, and Canada 305 points. All these figures are based on the results of 4 of the 7 stages of the World Cup.

Bobsleigh in Russia

In Russia, the beginning of the development of bobsleigh is considered to be 1980, when the Committee for physical culture and sports, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted a Resolution on the creation of the USSR national bobsleigh team. Simultaneously with the creation of the country's national team, the development of bobsleigh in sports societies began.

Winter sports

Name The winter sport comes from the English bobsleigh (downhill). It is a high-speed descent from the mountains along specially equipped ice tracks on controlled sleigh - bob.

The birthplace of bobsleigh is Switzerland. Here, in 1888, the English tourist Wilson Smith connected two sleds with a board and used them to travel from St. Moritz to Celerina located slightly below. There, in St. Moritz, at the end of the 19th century. The world's first bobsled sports club was also organized, where the basic rules of competition in this sport were developed, and the sleigh crew then consisted of five people - three men and two women. Subsequently, the number of bobsleigh crew members varied - two, four, five, and sometimes eight people.

Bobsleigh became widespread in a number of European countries, where competitions and then national championships in this sport began to be held. In Austria they have been held since 1908, and in Germany since 1910.

The world's first special sled, the “bob,” was designed in 1904.

The sled is made according to a standard design from an all-metal body with a streamlined shape, mounted on two pairs of skate runners. The front pair is movable with a steering wheel. The rear pair is stationary with a brake. They use double (double) and four-seater (quad) bobsleds. The length of the pair is no more than 2.7 m, the weight is no more than 165 kg, and the weight of the crew is no more than 200 kg. The length of the four is no more than 3.8 m, the weight is no more than 230 kg, and the weight of the crew is no more than 400 kg.

Technical improvement of bobsleigh sleds is carried out taking into account the latest achievements of scientific and technological progress. However, for obvious reasons, it is limited by the weight and size restrictions established by international rules for two-seater and four-seater sleds. As before, the final results in bobsled competitions are determined by the speed gained by the crew at the starting acceleration section - before boarding the sled; at a distance, the result depends primarily on the skill of the pilot - helmsman, on his ability to pass the track along the most optimal trajectory, with the least loss of speed overcoming turns and bends.

Speed bobsleds during the descent along the track can reach 100 km/h.

International Bobsleigh and Toboggan Federation FIBT - FIBT was founded in 1924. Unites more than 50 national federations. A toboggan is a useless wooden sled common among the Indians of Canada, which, in a slightly modified form, began to be used as sports equipment. At the beginning of the 20th century, official toboggan competitions were held. Then this word was traditionally preserved in the name of the International Federation of FIBT, which is still in charge of the development of bobsleigh in the world.

The World Bobsleigh Championships have been held since 1924.

Bobsleigh has been included in the Winter Olympics program since 1924 of the year.
In 1924, competitions were held on four-seater sleighs,
in 1928 - on a five-seater sleigh,
Since 1932, except for 1960, competitions have been held on two- and four-seater sleds.

At the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City ( 2002 d.) women took part in the double bob races.

In each issue of the Olympic program, a country is represented by no more than two crews.

Places are determined by the sum of the times of four races. In each race, the starting order is determined by drawing lots.

First artificial track in Russia
Bobsleigh and luge track in the village of Paramonovo
(sleigh, bobsleigh and skeleton track)
Opened March 10, 2008

Sliding and bobsleigh complex "Paramonovo"

Sliding and bobsleigh complex "Paramonovo".

Sliding and bobsleigh complex "Paramonovo"
Satellite view

Sliding and bobsleigh complex "Paramonovo".
Satellite view.

Bobsleigh and luge track in Sochi (Krasnaya Polyana)
Center luge"Sled".
The center opened in 2012.

View of the bobsleigh and luge track from the top of the Black Pyramid peak (Adler district of Sochi).
June 2014.