The skeleton event has been un-officially a part of the Winter Olympics since the 1928 games in St. Moritz and then again was contested in 1948, only to be removed from competition until as recently as 2002 with the event now holding both men’s and women’s races. The skeleton event will be contested at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

In skeleton the competitors drive a one person sled, head first, down an ice track in the fastest time. Some of the top speeds that will be seen during the Vancouver Olympics will reach over 130 km/hour (80mph). The skeleton was founded in Switzerland and was named after a spin off of the popular British sport Cresta Sledding, having said that the two sports are very different and should not be confused with one another.

The rules for the skeleton competition during the Vancouver Olympics are fairly easy to follow. The skeleton racer must use the same track as the bobsleigh and luge competitors, which is approximately 1200 m (1312 yards) long. The racer begins with a running push start of up to 40 metres and once the pushing is complete the rider must dive onto the sled and move down the track. The athletes must be in a prone, head first position with their arms at their sides. Only the force produced by the rider and the sled itself can be used to propel the sled down the track, most of this force comes from the force of gravity and the skeleton can only be steered by movements from the riders body, no other way.

The sled itself in skeleton has a number of restrictions as well. The sled frames must be made of steel and are not allowed to include any steering or braking mechanisms. The sled base plate is allowed to be made of plastics. As for the handles and bumpers that run along the sides of the sled, they are there only to help secure the competitor for the duration of the run. The weight restrictions are as follows:

Each competition sled must be no longer than 1200mm with the height standard being a maximum of 200mm. On the bottom of the sled the runners cannot be any further apart than 380mm. All of these regulations will be strictly enforced during Vancouver 2010.

The start in skeleton is one of the most critical aspects of the race; a tenth of a second at the start can result in three tenths of a second at the finish. Many of the world’s best skeleton racers train in the same fashion as sprinters, they must have strong legs for a fast start.

During the Vancouver Winter Olympics there will be two individual skeleton events; one for men and one for women. Both of the two events will consist of four heats that will be held over two days. The individual who has the overall lowest combined time will take home the gold medal in Vancouver.

The venue for the skeleton races during the Vancouver Winter Olympics will be in the scenic town of Whistler, about a two hour driver from downtown Vancouver. The Whistler Sliding Center will also be home to the bobsleigh and the luge events. For more info on this venue and the sustainable attributes as presented by the Vancouver Olympic committee please direct your attention to the luge or bobsleigh page of this site.