No runnings: Jamaican bobsledder appeal for two-woman sled rejected

BEIJING — The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled against a Jamaican bobsled pilot in her appeal to add another two-woman sled to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic field.

Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian asked the court’s Ad Hoc division to set aside the international federation’s point ranking table and reallocate the points based on races that actually occurred. The bobsled federation had counted one day twice toward Olympic qualification because racing a day earlier had been canceled due to inclement weather.

Fenlator-Victorian wanted the final two-woman spot to be awarded to Jamaica instead of France. However, she requested France be granted an additional quota spot in the 20-sled field.

She pointed out that the men’s field has 30 sleds.

The panel, composed of arbitrators from Italy, Paraguay and Slovenia, held a video-conference on February 6 and dismissed her application a day later.

The full ruling with reasons is currently being written and will be published soon.

Fenlator-Victorian, a three-time Olympian, will still compete in the new Olympic discipline of monobob.

The Jamaican had complained bobsledders from Europe had an advantage during the pandemic because they could more easily go to regional competitions. Travel was expensive and logistically difficult for athletes from other regions, such as the Americas, and especially hard for smaller nations with limited resources, like Jamaica.