--- title: Jamaican Bobsled Team Coach Quits Before Competition description: The coach of the Jamaican women's bobsled team resigned after getting demoted, and she might take the team's sled with her when she goes. canonical: https://time.com/5160243/jamaica-bobsled-coach/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-15T17:01:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:58:37.371Z og:title: Jamaica's Bobsled Team Faces One More Obstacle on Olympic Path og:description: One more obstacle in the Jamaican women's bobsled team's path to the Olympics og:url: https://time.com/5160243/jamaica-bobsled-coach/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0ef10154301caf62/698927c24ee262da8f310e74/jamaica-bobsled-team.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3908 og:image:height: 2198 og:image:alt: Previews - Winter Olympics Day -1 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Jamaica's Bobsled Team Faces One More Obstacle on Olympic Path twitter:description: One more obstacle in the Jamaican women's bobsled team's path to the Olympics twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0ef10154301caf62/698927c24ee262da8f310e74/jamaica-bobsled-team.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Jamaica's First Ever Women's Olympic Bobsled Team Faces Obstacle After Coach Quits > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: Here's What An Olympic eSports Competition Could Look Like [Watch (HLS stream): Here's What An Olympic eSports Competition Could Look Like](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/to3V05qI.m3u8) (1:40)  _Published 2018-02-08. A look at what an eSports Olympic event could potentially look like in the future._  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Feb 15, 2018 5:01 PM UTC A look at what an eSports Olympic event could potentially look like in the future.  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Feb 15, 2018 5:01 PM UTC The Jamaican women’s bobsled team has been on a long journey to the [PyeongChang Winter Olympics](http://time.com/5142825/pyeongchang-olympics-opening-ceremony-america-korea/) — and that journey just got even more daunting after their coach [resigned](https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story%5Ffbid=1601604836598102&id=171573089601291) on Wednesday. There also appears to be a disagreement about the sled, following her resignation. The dispute is between coach Sandra Kiriasis, a 2006 gold medalist from Germany, and the Jamaican Bobsled and Skeleton Federation. Kiriasis wrote that she was demoted from her role as driver coach. She added: “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 to leave the Olympic village, would lose my accreditation as part of the Jamaican team and was not supposed to have any more contact with the athletes, etc,” [in a Facebook post.](https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story%5Ffbid=1601604836598102&id=171573089601291) The JBSF has a different perspective. “The lady was a hugely destructive force on the team,” JBSF President Christian Stokes [told Reuters.](https://www.sbs.com.au/news/bobsleigh-not-so-cool-runnings-as-destructive-coach-quits-jamaica-team) Instead of accepting the downgrade — which Kiriasis, she elected to bow out of the team entirely. And since she maintains that she’s ultimately responsible for the sled, the BBC reports that she [wants payment](http://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-olympics/43058774) for it on her way out. The Jamaican team is slated to compete in their first heats next week, with training getting under way over the weekend. This is the first time that the Jamaican women have fielded a team ever, following in the footsteps of the [iconic men’s team](http://time.com/8274/sochi-2014-winter-olympics-jamaica-bobsled-last/), who made their debut back in 1988 on the winter stage (and inspired the movie [_Cool Runnings_](http://time.com/7967/jamaican-bobsled-team-theme-song/)). But it remains to be seen if this year’s duo of Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and Carrie Russell will have the equipment they need to continue making history. The JBSF said [in a statement](http://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-olympics/43058774) they were “disappointed” in her decision but insisted that her departure “will not impact JBSF or its athletes’ performance.” A team spokesperson [told the AFP](https://news.sky.com/story/winter-olympics-jamaican-womens-bobsleigh-dream-thrown-into-chaos-11251000?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter&%5F%5Ftwitter%5Fimpression=true) that other teams have offered assistance in filling their equipment gaps. Kiriasis, meanwhile, maintains that it’s on the powers that be to fix the problem. “The athletes have told me they don’t understand why this has happened as they have no problem with me and we have a good relationship,” she said. ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [00:05] Hi my name's Ralf Reichert, I' [ m founder and CEO of [00:08] ESL. And we're guests here right before the Olympic [00:11] games and this is kind of a lead in tournament to [00:15] showcase what E- sports is. Knows that the battle is [00:16] coming and here she goes. [ UNKNOWN ] [00:21] In most sports, being part of the Olympic is a dream [00:24] for every athlete. Looking back, 2000, when we [00:27] founded DSL, the reason was there was no [00:29] infrastructure for the players. So we really wanted to [00:33] build this stage web players can shine, where they can [00:35] be celebrated as stars, And follow their passion. [00:38] [ MUSIC ] I have to play [00:43] Starcraft II, at least for five to eight to 15 hours a [00:46] day, some times, just to prepare for the tournament. [00:49] And one single mistake can cost me a game or money [00:54] or fame. [ MUSIC ] More and more people watching [00:58] online tournaments and as much audience we have [01:02] which coming closer to be on olympic games. 18 [01:06] players remaining here on the world stage. [ MUSIC ] I [01:10] think a lot of went to sports on their tradition and [01:13] probably not because they are so popular as a [01:16] spectator sport and the younger demographics is [01:17] [ INAUDIBLE ] Has a very high penetration and some [01:22] of the traditional sports are probably not growing in [01:24] their demographic so to stay with the digital [01:28] generations and the more digital world we are moving [01:32] into, I think it's a total no blader. 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