News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Feb. 16, 2018: Just days before the Jamaican women’s bobsled team gear up to take to their first heat in the 2018 Winter Olympics, there is drama in the camp of the history making team as the German coach has called it quits. Now Sandra Kiriasis is sharing why on social media.
According to Kiriasis’ Facebook post, the reason she took to FB is to clear up some “distorted facts (that) have appeared in the media” concerning her departure as coach.
She said without being given any reasons, she was told by the Jamaican Bobsleigh Federation “out of the blue that with immediate effect I should work only as a track and performance analyst, would have to leave the Olympic village, would lose my accreditation as part of the Jamaican team and was not supposed to have any more contact with the athletes, etc.”
Kiriasis said that during the preparation for the winter games she supported the team far beyond the call of duty at all times.
“For example, I managed to get sponsors and equipment etc. and even rented a bobsled in Winterberg for the competition in Pyeongchan,” she posted. “Naturally I cannot accept to be treated the way I have been treated.”
She said she will not allow herself to be used as a puppet by the federation, which she said “saved a lot of money due to my commitment and contacts.”
And she insisted that she has “not abandoned the team” but instead has “chosen not to continue due to the unacceptable conditions offered by the federation without any explanation and which would have forced me to sacrifice my reputation and my professionalism.”
The JBSF, meanwhile, said it is ” deeply disappointed” in Kiriasis’ decision to leave the program”
JBSF media manager Kathleen Pulito emphasized that Kiriasis would not be replaced during the Games, adding that “many nations have offered assistance or coaching staff and any equipment we may need in case an issue should arise.”
Jamaican bobsledders will get their first chance on the ice of PyeongChang next week and the eyes of the world will surely be watching.
The team of pilot Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian, ‘push-man’ Carrie Russell and alternate Audra Segree have captivated the world.
Fenlator-Victorian, Russell, and Segree’s two-man women’s bobsled heats will start around 6:50 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 20th. The second heat will start about an hour later. The third and fourth heats, with the fourth determining who wins what medals, will start on Wednesday, Feb. 21st, around 6:40 p.m. EST and 7:50 p.m. EST.
In order to watch the Jamaican bobsled team compete at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, you’ll either have to have access to cable or view it online. All of the Olympic events will be aired on NBC, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch the Olympics livestream at NBCOlympics.com.
