Just days before the women’s bobsled competition was set to begin, Jamaica’s coach Sandra Kiriasis abruptly left the team as she refused a request to change roles from driving coach to track performance analyst.
“Without giving any reasons, I was told out of the blue that with immediate effect I should work only as a track and performance analyst, would have had to leave the Olympic Village, would lose my accrediation as part of the Jamaican team and was not supposed to have any more contact with the athletes, etc,” Kiriasis said in a statement she released on Facebook.
Her surprise departure left the team in quite the situation.
Kiriasis told the British News Organization that she is legally responsible for the sled and threatened to take it with her.
The Jamaicans nearly lost not one but two key parts of their team just days before their Olympic debut.
The sled, which was named ‘Cool Bolt’ (an ode to the movie Cool Runnings and star Olympian Usain Bolt), allegedly left the Olympic village with Sandra.
How can you bobsled without a sled?
After the news broke on social media, a knight in shining armor came to the rescue in the form of a tweet.
No bobsled, no problem. If you need a new ride @Jambobsled, put it on @RedStripe’s tab. DM us and we’ll be in touch 👌🍻
— Red Stripe USA (@RedStripeUSA) February 15, 2018
