As the Winter Olympic Games begin in Milan, Italy, today, Sport Minister Olivia Grange says Jamaica is no longer seen as a novelty act on ice but as a competitive force in winter sports.

The Games run until February 22, and Jamaica will not only compete in three bobsleigh events and alpine skiing, but continue its battle against the belief by many unfamiliar with the programme that the country is a plucky underdog punching above its weight in an unusual environment. This notion was popularised by the 1993 film Cool Runnings, which was loosely inspired by Jamaica’s first participation in the Winter Games in Calgary in 1988.

“For Jamaica to have an active winter sport programme and we don’t have snow, it means that we’re not just ordinary athletes — we’re not just a country that …we run fast,” Grange said. “We’re very daring and courageous and brave because we have an active winter sport programme, although we’re a country that’s known for its warmth and not for snow.”

Jamaica will be represented in the four-man bobsled by captain Shane Pitter, Andrae Dacres, Junior Harris, Joel Fearon and former national 100m champion Tyquendo Tracey. Pitter and Tracey will also contest the two-man bobsled event, while Mica Moore, who was born in Wales and now represents Jamaica, will compete in the women’s monobob. Henri Rivers will also represent the country in Alpine skiing.

This is Jamaica’s fourth-consecutive appearance in bobsledding at the Winter Games, after entries in 2014, 2018 and 2022, and the country’s 10th overall appearance at the Winter Olympics. Jamaica has not yet won an Olympic medal in winter sports, but the programme recorded a milestone last year by capturing its first gold medals at regional competitions.

Grange says those victories have helped shift perceptions of Jamaica’s winter sports programme from novelty to legitimacy, and that the team’s growth has been driven by sustained development rather than symbolism.

“I want to congratulate the Jamaica team, inclusive of the athletes, coaches, administrators and other members of the support team, on qualifying for the Winter Olympics,” she said. “Their story is a story of diligence, determination, dynamism and consistent development that has come to define Jamaican athletes as barrier breakers.”

Grange says Jamaica is now earning respect through performance.

“I was there with them [bobsled team] from the beginning, and I’m really happy to see how they’ve advanced until we are now gold medallists and respected on the scene,” she said. “Not because we lost and we were a novelty and out of that came Cool Runnings, but because we’re winning.”

Despite that progress, the Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation has continued to call for increased financial and corporate support, particularly in relation to equipment.

The federation’s communications manager Rolando Reid told the Jamaica Observer last month that while the team has received some assistance, competing against traditional winter sport nations remains challenging without access to top-tier sleds.

“The sled that we’re currently using, it is fast, but it’s not German-fast, which is a whole different level,” Reid said, in an article published on January 20.

He said the federation had been pushing a GoFundMe campaign to acquire a new sled before the start of the training period in Cortina, Italy, to test equipment comparable to that used by leading teams.

Reid said Jamaica has proven it can compete at the highest level, but has not received sufficient backing locally, particularly from corporate Jamaica.

He said the cost of the sport places a heavy burden on athletes, mentioning that many compete with minimal financial return in terms of salary or compensation, and that any support would be appreciated.

In response, Grange, speaking at the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission Symposium on January 22, said that the Government has assisted ahead of the team’s participation in Milan.

“Like all athletes who qualify for major games, the bobsledders will be receiving $2.16 million, which is given through the Athletes’ Assistance Programme,” Grange said.

She mentioned that the athletes are also covered under the National Athletes’ Insurance Plan and that the ministry has supported the programme by helping to facilitate and document its development in recent years.

Sports Minister Olivia Grange receives a tee from vice-president of the Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation Walter-J Davis. Jamaica will compete in three bobsled events at the Winter Olympic Games, which starts in Italy today. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Tyquendo Tracey (left), Junior Harris (second left), Andrae Dacres (second right) and Shane Pitter will compete in the four-man event at the 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Cortina in February. (Photo: JBSF)

Welsh-born Mica Moore will compete for Jamaica in the women’s monobob at the 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Cortina. (Photo: JBSF)