The Jamaica Tourist Board has come on board as a sponsor of the Jamaica Bobsleigh team to next month’s 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.

The sponsorship of US$20,000 will go to the Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation to assist in defraying costs associated with the Olympic campaign.

“For the first time in 24 years, a four-man bobsleigh team from Jamaica has qualified to compete in the Winter Olympics and everyone is fondly recalling our original 1988 team that inspired the Hollywood movie, Cool Runnings,” said Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s minister of tourism.

“With the upcoming Games shining the spotlight brightly upon our bobsleigh athletes, they will serve as Jamaica’s ambassadors to the world and bring additional positive awareness for Jamaica among viewers and sports fans around the world.

“Sports are an important aspect of tourism because they bring people and cultures together over a shared enthusiasm. Avid sports fans and spectators will travel to watch their favourite sporting events and competitors and in doing so spend money in the destinations they visit, thereby benefitting the local economy. Our sports tourism niche is vital to the growth of our overall tourism sector and a key part of our overarching plan to create a stronger and more resilient Jamaica for the future.”

Chris Stokes, president of the Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, was grateful for the financial support.

“I am grateful for the outpouring of support for the team and they are committed to doing well and making Jamaica proud. Jamaica bobsleigh is here to stay,” Stokes said.

In the meantime, Shanwayne Stephens, a member of the four-man team, on a video call from China, expressed gratitude on behalf of his teammates.

“It means a lot to us to qualify for the Games. We’ve worked very hard over the past four years to have achieved what we have achieved,” said Stephens.

“We’re extremely proud to represent Jamaica, Jamaica bobsleigh and everybody that is a massive Cool Runnings fan, so we can’t wait to get out there and put in the best performance that we can.

“You can expect us to go out there and bring the fire on ice and do the absolute best that we can.

“We’re not just a movie, we’re here to compete. I can guarantee you that we are going to go off the top of that hill like an absolute rocket.”

READ: Jamaican bobsleigh team lands in Beijing, committed to overcoming challenges