Jamaica’s flag bearer at the Beijing Olympics on Friday appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to represent her country in the women’s two-man bobsleigh event.
Already lined up for the monobob event, Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian also hopes to participate in the qualifications of the two-man bobsleigh which take place at the National Sliding Center in Yanqing next week.
She argues that the IBSF awarded the Olympics berths based on an inaccurate points tally.
If the CAS proves him right, Fenlator-Victorian could obtain the last place in the quota, that is currently occupied by the French Margot Boch and Carla Senechal, according to the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF).
Fenlator-Victorian hopes the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will increase the number of places available for the two-man event so that the Jamaican and French teams can compete.
“I hope this can be resolved without excluding the French competitors. There should be room for more female participation,” she added in a statement released on Friday.
“There are 60 places available for male competitors in the two-man bobsleigh against only 40 places available for female competitors in the same event”, she regrets.
She hopes CAS will reverse a decision by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), which she says excludes Jamaican athletes in favor of European teams. “I seize (the CAS) to protect my rights and those of my country to participate fully in the Olympic Games”, declared the young woman who participates, at 36, in her “last Olympic Games”.
“Representation matters so much. We need to allow silenced voices to speak out and also make room for diversity. »
If Fenlator-Victorian wins the case, Jamaica will have three teams competing in Beijing (monobob and two-man for women, four-man for men).
