With Jamaica qualifying three teams for next month’s Winter Olympics in Italy, 2022 Olympic representative and Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (JBSF) Communications Manager Rolando Reid believes greater financial support will improve the team’s chances of medalling.

On Monday, it was confirmed that the island will compete in a minimum of three events at the Games from February 6 to February 22.

Shane Pitter will lead the charge in the two-man event as well as the four-man which will feature former 100m national champion Tyquendo Tracey, Andrae Dacres, Junior Harris and Joel Fearon. Welsh-born Mica Moore, who acquired her Jamaican citizenship at the end of 2025, will compete in the women’s monobob. The number could rise to four should the two-woman team gain entry following the withdrawal of another competing nation.

It will be Jamaica’s fourth-consecutive appearance in bobsleigh, having done so in 2014, 2018 and 2022. In the country’s 10 overall appearances at the Winter Games, they’ve yet to win a medal.

However, Reid who competed in the four man event that ranked 28th at the Beijing Games four years ago, believes the men have what it takes to make the podium.

“I’m a very optimistic person and I think, especially in the world of bobsleigh, there’s a lot of things that can happen from a crash to anything, so there’s a big opportunity here for us to medal. We have a lot of sprinters so I think there’s a great opportunity there and we have a really good driver,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Reid, though, says acquiring a better sled would put the team in a stronger position to compete.

“The sled that we’re currently using, it is fast, but it’s not German-fast, which is a whole different level. So we’re even also trying to push right now our Go Fund Me to try to see if we can get a sled between now and the beginning of the training period in Cortina, to test a sled that would technically match up to what the Germans are using,” he said.

“What that will provide is a better sitting position for the athletes in the back and create a more aerodynamic flow to the sled and just the shape of it and everything would make a little bit of a difference. I feel as though if we get that along with the talent that we have on our sled, I think there is a high possibility that we can challenge at least for a top 10 and hopefully for a medal in the top three.”

Reid believes increased investment from private sector would significantly boost the sport’s development.

“We have been competitive on the world stage and at the highest level but I still don’t see enough support from some of corporate Jamaica coming on board,” he said.

“We do have a few that is on and we hope to continue to encourage more sponsors to come on because this is a very expensive sport and what a lot of people don’t know, these athletes, they’re doing it with bare minimum in return in terms of salary or anything of the sort, so any kind of help would be really appreciated.”

“I’ve gotten a lot more support during my time outside of Jamaica than in Jamaica. Like anywhere in the world that we have gone, we’ve been this massive kind of reception for Jamaica Bobsleigh but we’re not really seeing it as much in the country. The tides have shifted a little. I’ve seen it [but we] encourage people to buy into what we’re doing here and also for people to come on-board and help sponsor the team,” Reid added.

Jamaica Olympic Asssociation President Christopher Samuda had high praise for the team and wants them to break the country’s medal drought.

“Commitment, hard work, and talent are measurements of success, and our bobsled team understood this, and now they have an opportunity to exemplify these attributes in Milano,” he said.

“Yet again the call has been answered emphatically and the drive now must be to break the ice and get onto the podium where history will be again created and a new chapter written.”

From left: Tyquendo Tracey, Junior Harris, Andrae Dacres and Shane Pitter are to compete in the four-man event at the 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Cortina, Italy, in February. (Photos: JBSF)

Jamaicans Joel Fearon (left) and Shane Pitter qualiified for the two-man event at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Welsh-born Mica Moore is set to compete for Jamaica in the women’s monobob.