Bobsleigh, Skeleton & Luge
Luge
In luge (the French word for “sled”), racers begin by sitting on open fibreglass sleds. Pulling on fixed handles in the ice, they burst out of the start. After this explosive start, they use spiked gloves on the ice surface for extra acceleration before lying down on their backs, feet stretched out in front of them, heads back to be as aerodynamic as possible. Luge racers steer using their legs and shoulders, and brake by sitting up, putting their feet down and pulling up on the sled runners.
The singles events consist of four heats over two days. The individual with the lowest combined time over the four runs wins. Men and women compete on the same track, but the women and doubles begin further down the course. The four-run format is unique to the Olympic Winter Games and designed to reward consistency, endurance and ability to withstand pressure - particularly on the second day.
The doubles event consists of two runs over one day, with the fastest total time determining the winner. All events in luge are timed to the thousandth of a second.
| Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 | Events Schedule for Luge | ||||
| Date | Time | Event Name - Luge | Venue | |
| Sat | 13 February | 17:00 | Men Singles Runs 1 and 2 (Qualification) | The Whistler Sliding Centre |
| Sun | 14 February | 13:00 | Men Singles Runs 3 and 4 (Final) | The Whistler Sliding Centre |
| Mon | 15 February | 17:00 | Women Singles Runs 1 and 2 (Qualification) | The Whistler Sliding Centre |
| Tue | 16 February | 13:00 | Women Singles Runs 3 and 4 (Final) | The Whistler Sliding Centre |
| Wed | 17 February | 17:00 | Doubles Singles Runs 1 and 2 (Final) | The Whistler Sliding Centre |
SKELETON
Skeleton got its name from the sled used — originally metal, now fiberglass and metal — as it resembles a human skeleton. To start, a skeleton slider grasps the handles on either side of the sled, runs as fast as possible for approximately 50 metres, then dives head first onto the sled. Sliders lie on their stomachs and steer by shifting their bodies very slightly.
There are two individual skeleton events in the Olympic Games: one for men and one for women. Both events consist of four heats held over two days, timed electronically to 0.01 seconds. The individual with the lowest combined time wins.
| Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 | Events Schedule for Skeleton | ||||||
| Date | Time | Event Name - Skeleton | Venue | |||
| Thu | 18 February | 16:00 | Men/Women Runs 1 and 2 (Qualification) | The Whistler Sliding Centre | ||
| Fri | 19 February | 15:45 | Men/Women Runs 3 and 4 (Final) | The Whistler Sliding Centre | ||
Bobsleigh
Today’s bobsleigh is built to be fast and aerodynamic, with a rounded fibreglass nose and four highlypolished steel runners. To start, the racers push off as fast as they can for approximately 50 metres, then jump into the bobsleigh for a seated descent down the track. The driver steers down the track, while, at the end of the run, the brakeman stops the sled.
There are three Olympic bobsleigh events: the men compete in two-and four-man bobsleigh and women in a two-person format.
In all Olympic Games events, four heats are held over two days, with medals being awarded to the team with the lowest combined time, measured to 0.01 of a second.
| Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 | Events Schedule for Bobsleigh | ||||||
| Date | Time | Event Name - Bobsleigh | Venue | |||
| Sat | 20 February | 17:00 | Men Two Man Runs 1 and 2 (Qualification) | The Whistler Sliding Centre | ||
| Sun | 21 February | 13:30 | Men Two Man Runs 3 and 4 (Final) | The Whistler Sliding Centre | ||
| Tue | 23 February | 17:00 | Women Runs 1 and 2 (Qualification) | The Whistler Sliding Centre | ||
| Wed | 24 February | 17:00 | Women Runs 3 and 4 (Final) | The Whistler Sliding Centre | ||
| Fri | 26 February | 13:00 | Men Four Man Runs 1 and 2 (Qualification) | The Whistler Sliding Centre | ||
| Sat | 27 February | 13:00 | Men Four Man Runs 3 and 4 (Final) | The Whistler Sliding Centre | ||
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |