Download
Jamaican bobsled pilot Winston Watts and the nation's Olympic Committee said on Monday they are accepting an invitation to compete at next month's Sochi Olympics.
It marks the first time the Jamaican bobsled team will compete at the Games since 2002. The invitation comes after Watts accumulated enough points in lower-tier races in North America to qualify.
It will be the fifth Winter Games for a team from the sun-drenched Caribbean island which first qualified in 1988 for Calgary, an achievement that later inspired the movie Cool Runnings.
"Oh, man, it's really overwhelming," Watts said in a telephone interview on Monday.
Watts said in an earlier interview that the team had qualified, but was unsure about its ability to participate because of funding. He estimated he needed up to $80,000 to make the Olympic trip.
Much of that concern went away on Monday, when Jamaican Olympic officials said they and the Sochi Organizing Committee would cover all travel costs for the team.
Watts said he is still doing additional fundraising for equipment, such as different kinds of runners for the sled. Teams typically have several different sets of runners to choose from, depending on ice conditions.
It has been 12 years since Jamaica has had a sled in the Olympics, with Watts finishing 28th at the Salt Lake City Games with Lascelles Brown -now a key part of Canada's national team.
Brown won a medal with the Canadians at the 2010 Vancouver Games, one where the Jamaicans were hoping to compete but were again thwarted by funding issues.
"Once again, the pride of the country is with our athletes who continue to blaze the trail," the Jamaican Olympic Committee said in a statement.
Officially, five people were nominated to the team on Monday: Watts, brakeman Marvin Dixon, backup Wayne Blackwood, coach Thomas Samuel and Chris Stokes, who will serve as the chef de mission.
Stokes was part of the groundbreaking team that represented Jamaica in 1988.
About the broadcaster:
Anne Ruisi is an editor at China Daily online with more than 30 years of experience as a newspaper editor and reporter. She has worked at newspapers in the U.S., including The Birmingham News in Alabama and City Newspaper of Rochester, N.Y.
全国收费公路5月6日零时起恢复收费
美丽的错误
苏轼的赤壁
金钱,共同面对的话题
钱,昨天——今天——明天
英雄
体坛英语资讯:Uganda stop Zimbabwe in Olympic qualifier of womens beach volleyball
国内英语资讯:China urges no tolerance of politicization, stigmatization in pandemic fight
国内英语资讯:Spotlight: China leads global green development with concrete actions
堂·吉诃德新传
话说千古风流人物——曹操
国际英语资讯:Italys coronavirus cases top 200,000, death toll at 27,359
忧劳可以兴国
国内英语资讯:Senior lawmakers hear reports on legal deliberations
新西兰宣布打赢社区防疫战并降低警戒级别
话说千古风流人物
“Shout” 可不仅仅是喊叫,你还可以用来买单!
妈妈,您听我说
感受鲁迅
王毅在金砖国家应对新冠肺炎疫情特别外长会上的发言(双语全文)
开学复课!北京上海高中生返校 杭州小学生“一米帽萌翻网友
妈妈,您听我说
我心目中的春天
中学生消费状况调查报告
比利时——历史名人的逃亡胜地
美媒解读第二波疫情风险:从哪来?怎么防?
体坛英语资讯:Monchengladbach secure 2-1 win over rivals Cologne in Bundesliga
新西兰宣布打赢社区防疫战并降低警戒级别
国际英语资讯:S. African FM urges BRICS to work together against COVID-19
我心目中的春
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |