Tough sledding from Canada

WHISTLER, B.C. -- Canada has taken on something of the bad guy role in the view of certain parts of the bobsleigh/skeleton community at these pre-Olympic test events.

During the international training week that preceded the ongoing World Cup races, the Canadian skeleton racers didn’t show up at all, while former Olympic bobsleigh champion Pierre Lueders refused to go down the course first during the practice runs, as is said to generally be the custom on a new track.

Officials of the sport’s governing body, the FIBT, are ticked off that the Canadians didn’t follow the usual protocol of showing the way as the hosts on a new track. The Whistler run is the fastest on the circuit and already being acknowledged as one of the toughest, so it was felt it was extra important the Canadians should go first to give everyone an idea of how the course runs. After all, they’d already had the benefit of some 100-plus trips down it.

The Canadian feeling was that there was no way were they going to help out their competitors.

Despite the FIBT concerns, German Anja Huber said they would have done exactly the same thing if it was their track.

So what do you think?

Is it good thing Canada has stopped being a patsy when it comes to things like this? Is it all just part of protecting home track advantage?

Or do you think the Canadians are being poor sports?

Comments

[Mark]

Bad form Canada...

[John D.]

Sadly at the level these athletes are playing at, it's not a sport, but a business. Winners get paid. Doing anything to win is justifiable.

But on that note, how did Pierre and the rest finish??

Oh, yeah...maybe sportsmanship is worth a few hundredths of a second in the end anyways.

[Randy Starkman]

Hey Mark

Pierre was third in the two-man last night. Today we get a look at the Whistler Bomber in the four-man.

Chrs, Randy