Sledging

Sledging, aka sledding or sleighing, is the generic term for three winter sports which are contested at the Olympic Games. They are luge, first contested in 1964; bobsleigh, also 1964; and skeleton, first contested in 2002. Luge is performed on a flat sledge with the competitors on their backs and travelling feet forward. Bobsleigh is either two-man or four-man in a large sleigh in which the team sit one behind the other facing forwards. The driver in the front seat steers the sleigh in a similar way to steering a car. Skeleton is effectively the opposite of luge. It uses a flat sledge but the competitors lie face down and travel head first.