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14:11 on 4th December 2007

Bobsleigh consists of three events in the Olympic programme; the male four-man and two-man and female two-man. Each event consists of four heats, held on two consecutive days. The four runs are timed to 0.01 seconds. The final standings are determined by the total time over the four runs; the winner is the sled with the lowest aggregate time. If two teams complete the competition in a tie, they are awarded the same place.

Only the 20 best-ranked sleds will compete in the fourth run. Entries are limited to two sleds per nation. The starting order is decided according to the nation's rankings on the World Cup.

The athletes push the bobsleigh reaching speeds of about 40km/h before they jump onto it. Once the crew is loaded, the pilot steers the sled through twisting, high speed turns and straightaways where top speeds can reach over 130km/h. The success of a team hinges on the initial pushing phase, as well as the steering and the materials of the sled (the sled and blades). Maximum sled weight of the combined team and equipment is specified, and the temperature of the runners measured prior to the competition to deter warming.

If the bobsleigh overturns, but all members of the team have passed the finish line inside it, the descent is considered valid.

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