Sandals Resorts International will sponsor the 2022 Jamaica Bobsleigh Team, as six fierce competitors gear up to compete in Beijing this month.

Among the highlights is a four-man team, the first for Jamaica in 24 years, with Sandals Resorts also sponsoring the qualifying team in 1998.

“Sandals has always been a champion for our national athletes, as we continue our legacy to support young competitors who aspire to represent our beloved home country, locally and on the world stage,” said Sandals Resorts executive chairman Adam Stewart.

“We beam with pride seeing our beautiful flag waving high, showing the world that Jamaica is not only a nation of dreamers, but doers – and that truly anything is possible when heart and hard work come together.

“The story of Jamaican bobsleighing is simply incredible, and we are along for the long ride, cheering on this extraordinary team as they compete in this winter’s events and then pass down the torch for generations to come.”

Founded in Montego Bay, Sandals Resorts is a long supporter of athletes in training in Jamaica and across the Caribbean, through the work of the Sandals Foundation - the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts.

Sandals’ support of the 2022 Jamaica Bobsleigh Team will cover the substantial logistics and travel costs required to send qualifying athletes to Beijing, as well as the additional bobsleigh events leading up to the 2023 world championship event.

The team consists of pilot Shanwayne Stephens, push athletes Matthew Wepke and Rolando Reid, and brakemen Ashley Watson and Nimroy Turgott.

Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian is also representing Team Jamaica this year in a new women’s monobob event.

The team is led by team manager, Nelson Christian Stokes, who has been an active member of the Jamaica Bobsleigh Team since its inception in 1988 and was part of the Olympic team who inspired the ever-popular 1993 film, Cool Runnings.

“Our return to the world stage is an incredible win in itself, and now Sandals Resorts has carried us over the finish line, allowing our team to put their focus on what they do best: bringing the Caribbean heat,” said Stokes.

“We are also laying the groundwork for the future, as opportunities such as this one come with the responsibility of helping to ‘pilot’ a new generation of bobsleighers, and Sandals is the perfect partner for this on and off the track.”

Image: International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation