Skeleton

In skeleton the athlete sprints pushing a small sled, then dives onto it face-down and head-first and races down an ice track, steering with subtle body movements. Speeds exceed 130 km/h with the face just a few centimetres above the ice.

History

Skeleton was born in 1884 on the famous Cresta Run at St. Moritz. It was held at the 1928 and 1948 Olympics and has been back on the programme since 2002. Competitions are run by the IBSF.

Major competitions

The Olympic Games, the IBSF World Championships and the World Cup.

In the Turkic world

With no ice tracks at home, skeleton is still a new sport in the Turkic countries; as ice tracks are built, it may spread across the Turkic world too.