The Parachute Regiment experienced a certain amount of resistance when they first entered the sport of bobsleigh at the Army Novice Championship at Winterberg 1987.
The regiment applied the same ethos to bobsleigh as we do to soldiering, They have the highest standards in all things. Even for the Novice Competition, the Team Captain ensured all those applying to establish the Parachute Regiment Team met the athletic standards set by the British Bobsleigh Association and the Army Bobsleigh Association. When it was apparent the Parachute Regiment team were the only ones who met those standards and were outperforming everyone else at the start the Army Manager sought to change the rules of the competition to reduce the impact of the physical standards the Army had set.
As The Parachute Regiment teams journey progressed, dominating the Army Team for the Inter-services, seven of the eight team members for several years were Parachute Regiment, yet the non-Para member was inevitably the Team Captain.
This resistance eventually culminated into I would rather have NO medal than The Parachute Regiment Team winning an Olympic medal Head of the BBA Selection Committee for the 1992 Winter Olympics.
Such barriers and adversity simply made the Parachute Regiment Team more determined to achieve at the highest level.
The Parachute Regiment has two Bronze Olympic Medals and has dominated the Army Team since 1989 and does so to this day.
**The Legacy**
The Parachute Regiment Bobsleigh Team will continue to develop new bobsleigh talent to maintain their dominance at Army & Inter-Service level while providing serving Paratroopers with the opportunity to experience this amazing sport while encouraging recruitment & retention with the regiment.
In addition, the Parachute Regiment has an all-Para crew representing Great Britain on the Europa Circuit with the Para driver exceeding expectation as a Developing Driver, helped by the fact that he qualified still as GBs fastest starting Driver and Brakeman. He is in a phenomenal position to qualify as a driver for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics and on to the 2030 Winter Olympics.
