Bobsleigh at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Qualification
The following is about the qualification rules and the quota allocation for the bobsleigh at the 2014 Winter Olympics.[1]
Qualification Rules
A maximum of 190 quota spots are available to athletes to compete at the games. A maximum 130 men and 40 women may qualify. The qualification is based on the world rankings of January 20, 2014. Pilots must compete in five different races on three different tracks during the 2012/13 season or 2013/14 season. Men pilots must be in the top 50 of the world rankings, while women need to be in the top 40. Each continent (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Asia) and the hosts are allowed to enter a sled provided they meet the above standard. For each men's event 30 sleds will be allowed to compete (maximum of three NOCs with three sleds and six NOCs with two sleds). For the women's event there will be a total of 20 sleds allowed to compete (maximum of two NOCs with three sleds, four NOCs with two sleds).
Qualification timeline
Races from October 1, 2013 until January 19th will apply to qualification for the Olympics. In general this means that the Olympic field is established by using the first seven world cup races of the 2013-14 season, but also includes results from intercontinental, Europe, and America cup races. Four sleds will then be allocated in both men's categories, and three in the women's, to either host or continental representation. Unused or realocated spots will be filled by January 27, 2014.
Quota allocation
The following summary is not indicative of assurance of Olympic qualification, but of how the allocations would be represented based on the current FIBT rankings.
Current summary
| Nations | Two-man | Four-man | Two-woman | Athletes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
 Austria | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
.svg.png){kind=small} Belgium | 1 | 2 | ||
 Brazil | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
 Canada | 3 | 3 | 2 | 16 |
 Czech Republic | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
 France | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
 Germany | 3 | 3 | 3 | 18 |
 Great Britain | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
 Italy | 1 | 1 | | 4 |
 Jamaica | 1 | 2 | ||
 Japan | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
 Latvia | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
 Monaco | 1 | 2 | ||
 Netherlands | | 1 | 1 | 6 |
 Poland | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
 Romania | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
 Russia | 2 | 3 | 2 | 16 |
 Serbia | 1 | 2 | ||
 Slovakia | | 1 | 4 | |
 South Korea | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
 Switzerland | 2 | | 2 | 9 |
 United States | 3 | 2 | 3 | 16 |
| Total: 23 NOCs | 30 | 30 | 20 | 169 |
- Most countries have athletes that crossover between the two-men and four-men events. Romania and the United States are the only two countries which have some turnover between the two-men and four-man teams.
Two man
Final ranking by nation (as of January 18, 2013).[2]
| Sleds qualified | Athletes total | Rank of applicable sled |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 18 | United States 6 Canada 11 Germany 12 |
| 2 | 18 | Russia 13 Latvia 14 Switzerland 15 South Korea 22 Netherlands |
| 1 | 24 | Italy 19 France 20 Netherlands 21 Monaco 23 Austria 24 Romania 26 Japan 27 Great Britain 28 Australia 322 Poland 35 Jamaica 39 Serbia 41 Slovakia 48 Czech Republic 523 |
| 30 | 60 | 19 |
- ^ Netherlands qualified two sleds, but elected to send only one.
- ^ The final four sleds are given to fulfill continental representation (Australia), and then to the top nations not previously qualified (Poland, Jamaica, Serbia).
- ^ Czech Republic received the unused quota spot from the Netherlands. Slovakia was ranked higher, but also declined the spot.
Four man
Final ranking by nation (as of January 19, 2014).[2]
| Sleds qualified | Athletes total | Rank of applicable sled |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 36 | Germany 8 Canada 10 Russia 13 |
| 2 | 40 | United States 14 Latvia 15 Great Britain 20 Switzerland 27 South Korea 44 France 46 |
| 1 | 44 | Switzerland 11 Netherlands 16 Italy 17 Japan 23 Czech Republic 24 Australia 30 Romania 32 Austria 35 Brazil 362 Poland 37 Slovakia 383 |
| 30 | 120 |
Two women
Final ranking by nation (as of January 19, 2014).[2]
| Sleds qualified | Athletes total | Rank of applicable sled |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 12 | Germany 6 United States 7 |
| 2 | 12 | Switzerland 12 Canada 14 Russia 18 |
| 1 | 16 | Belgium 9 Netherlands 11 Great Britain 13 Australia 19 Austria 20 Brazil 23 Italy 27 South Korea 292 Romania 283 |
| 20 | 40 | 12 |
References
- ↑ "Qualification Systems for XXII Olympic Winter Games, Sochi 2014" (PDF). International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation. December 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
- 1 2 3 FIBT ranking