Interesting History of the Venue
WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary was built for the 1988 Winter Olympics and remains the historic site where the Jamaican bobsled team captured global attention — a story that later inspired the 1993 Disney film Cool Runnings. The team made their Olympic debut here, and parts of the movie were filmed on the same track, even though the film took major creative liberties.
Key Historical Facts & Connections
The 1988 Games
The original Jamaican bobsled team — Dudley Stokes, Michael White, Devon Harris, and Caswell Allen — was set to compete in Calgary. When Allen was injured before the Games, he was replaced by Chris Stokes, who had originally travelled only to support his brother.
The Crash
During the four‑man event, the team crashed on their third run. While the movie dramatizes the moment, the real team did not carry the sled across the finish line — they walked beside it after the crash, earning worldwide respect for their composure and determination.
WinSport’s Role
Today, WinSport operates the former Olympic facilities, including the bobsleigh/luge track where the 1988 competition took place.
The Legacy
Although Cool Runnings is highly fictionalized — “not much in it actually happened in real life,” as team member Dudley Stokes has said — the film cemented the Jamaican team’s place in Olympic history and strengthened Calgary’s legacy as a host city.
Artifacts & Local Connections
A bobsled is often displayed at WinSport to honour the 1988 team. Another movie‑used sled, gifted to Ranchman’s Bar by the film’s production crew after shooting scenes there, was stolen in 2020. Part of it was recovered in 2022, becoming a quirky chapter in Calgary’s connection to the story.
Coaching & Formation
The 1988 team trained under Austrian coach Sepp Haidacher, with support from Howard Siler, George Fitch, and William Maloney. The program was built on the belief that elite sprinters could transition into bobsleigh — an experiment that turned into one of the most iconic stories of perseverance in Olympic history.
