Jamaican bobsled team ready for ‘Cool Runnings’ reboot during Milano Cortina 2026

“Nuff people say, you know they can’t believe it, Jamaica, we have a bobsled team.” This also applies to the iconic tone in the film Cool runsthat sports fans from the Caribbean island will be able to sing once again at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

That’s because Jamaican athletes have earned quota places* in three sliding events – the women’s monobob, the men’s two-man and the men’s four-man – according to a announcement by Jamaica Bobsled & Skeleton Federation (JBSF).

Mica Moore will represent the nation in women’s monobob, while a combination pilot Shane Pitter and push athletes Andra Dacres, Junior Harris, Tyquendo TraceyAnd Joel Fearon will fill the two-man and four-man sleds.

“This achievement reflects sustained excellence, dedication and international competitiveness on the world stage,” the JBSF announcement said. “[It] confirms Jamaica as one of the most consistent tropical countries for winter sports.”

The island nation first came to international prominence at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, when Dudley Stokes, Michael White, Devon Harris and Chris Stokes became the first athletes from Jamaica to compete in bobsleigh at a Games. Their exploits inspired the Hollywood film Cool runsincreasing interest in the team and helping the sport grow beyond the traditional winter sports countries.

In recent years, Jamaica has become a regular fixture in bobsleigh competitions at the Olympic Games. The team competed in the two-man event at Sochi 2014, debuted in the two-woman event at PyeongChang 2018 and qualified for three events at Beijing 2022.

However, the 2025-2026 season has seen the program soar to historic new heights, with pilot Shane Pitter and brakemen Andrae Dacres, Junior Harris and Tyquendo Tracey claiming the country’s first-ever North American Cup victory in Whistler in November.

Since then, they have topped the podium seven times. And while Jamaica has never finished better than 14th in a bobsleigh event at the Olympics, this year’s group of athletes will hope to push the target even further for future generations of sliders.

Win or lose, they would do well to remember the lasting words Cool runs coach Irv Blitzer: “A gold medal is a great thing. But if you’re not enough without, you’ll never be enough with one.”

The Bobsled in Milano Cortina 2026 will take place from February 12 to 22 at the Cortina Sliding Center.