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Outlook: The dramatic journey of Jamaica’s first Olympic bobsleigh

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Dudley Stokes captained Jamaica’s first Olympic bobsleigh and inspired the film Cool Runnings.

14/02/2022 GMT

The dramatic journey of Jamaica’s first Olympic bobsleigh

BBC World Service - Outlook, The dramatic journey of Jamaica’s first Olympic bobsleigh

Dudley Stokes drove Jamaica’s first Olympic bobsleigh and inspired the film Cool Runnings

Dudley Stokes captained Jamaica’s first Olympic bobsleigh team in 1988. Their dramatic journey inspired the comedy film Cool Runnings.

The comedy film classic Cool Runnings, about a Jamaican bobsleigh team's surprising efforts to get to the Winter Olympics, was inspired by a real story.

Dudley Stokes was an officer in the Jamaican army and hadn't really heard of the sport until his superiors gave a presentation to try and recruit volunteers to take part in the country's first Olympic bobsleigh team. Some of his colleagues were put off by the danger involved as they watched a film of a bobsleigh hurtling down an icy track, but Dudley wasn't. He got on to the team as a driver and became the captain. Dudley tells Anu Anand about the difficult journey to the 1988 Winter Olympics, with only a few months training, and how he coped with a dramatic crash at the Games as the world watched.  

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Anu Anand
Producer: Deiniol Buxton

Photo: The Jamaican four man bobsleigh team in action at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic Games. 
Credit:  David Yarrow/Getty Images

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