The 1988 Winter Olympics featured one of sports greatest ever underdog stories - the infamous Jamaican bobsled team. The magic of the tropical country competing at the winter games for the first time captured the world’s attention thanks in no small part to the Disney movie Cool Runnings.

However, the movie is almost 100% false, with the films director noting that only “1% of the film is true” - the real story is so much wilder.

So feel the rhythm, feel the ride, strap on your headphones, it’s wild world time. Join Ben and Carlin as James tells the real story of the Jamaican bobsled team, a story that features military prowess, the Prince of Monaco, and a ranking on the scientific wild and mild ranking board on our journey to find the wildest story from the world of sport.

References:

https://jamaica-star.com/article/news/20161007/push-cart-derby-returns-honour-great-jamaicans

https://www.olympics.com/en/olympic-games/calgary-1988/results/bobsleigh/two-man-men

https://www.nine.com.au/entertainment/latest/cool-runnings-true-story-dark-truth-behind-the-real-life-bobsleighers/eea1f414-6f40-4407-8660-1444a44ecf75

https://www.olympics.com/en/news/jamaican-bobsleigh-team-1988-winter-olympics

https://jamaicans.com/first-jamaican-mens-bobsled-team/#:~:text=The%20team's%20participation%20in%20the,%E2%80%9CCool%20Runnings%E2%80%9D%20in%201993.

https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/schedule/bob

https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/9.6992545

https://bsfnigeria.com/\

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7v4oTquF6qw0qB8VEd8cuh?si=14baa3ed072144e9

Presenters:

James Whybrow

Ben Whybrow

Carlin Sheaves

Music and cover art:

Zoe Behrendt