The Winter Olympics in Turin this week could not pass without mention of the Fiat-sponsored Jamaican Olympic Bobsleigh Team, who always bring their own charismatic brand of the 'Olympic Spirit' to the Winter Games, and despite not qualifying this time, their vibrant colours are present in Turin in a series of initiatives that celebrate Fiat's association with the pioneering team who have really turned accepted wisdom around.

The first Jamaican Bobsleigh Team (JBT) etched itself in the history books when it entered this specific winter sport in dramatic fashion in the 1988 Winter Olympics held in Calgary, Canada. Although a tropical island in the Caribbean Ocean better known for its sun, sand and sea, and where snow is a very scarce or even non-inexistent. This was no obstacle for the two men who first dreamed up the idea of such an unusual team.  The original idea for the team came from two Americans, George Fitch and William Maloney, who both had business and family connections back in Jamaica. 

The original five JBT members, all originating from the island, were: Devon Harris (who been a Lieutenant in the Second Battalion of the Jamaican Army); Dudley Stokes (a captain from the JDF Air Wing, who would later become Vice President of the Jamaican Bobsleigh Federation); Michael White (a former private in the National Reserve); Samuel Clayton (a railway engineer); and Sajjad "Mosquito" Ali (who had been a business leader, singer and fan favourite), a real Jamaican 'icon'. Because the start of the discipline is such an important part of the whole Bobsleigh race and Jamaica had produced so many great sprinters, original the idea was floated to recruit some of the island's summer Olympic athletes to join the team but a lack of interest scuppered this concept.

Although their 1988 Winter Olympic appearance was plagued by heavy crashes and many technical difficulties, the JBT warmed the hearts of the many fans at Calgary, winning (and deserving) a large amount of respect worldwide for their motivation and single-minded determination, in the true traditions of the Games. The team had improved drastically by the time of the 1992 Winter Olympics (at Albertville, France) and came in an excellent 14th, ahead of teams from the United States, France, Russia, and Italy. Their two-man team also put in a fine performance, beating the experienced Swedish team, and coming home in 10th place overall. The JBT has continued to improve, taking home several medals in other competitions, including gold at the 2000 World Push Championships in Monte Carlo, and firsts in two-man sledding and four-woman sledding in the Olympic trials.

For the unusual charismatic dimension they have brought to this specialist Winter Sport, the team has built a very strong projecting image resulting in many events that have helped make the discipline so popular among Winter Sports fans and the wider public. This resulted in many events such as the TV spot "Celebrate Humanity" made in 2001 by the International Olympic Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics (that took place at Salt Lake City, USA). The original four-man team was also later immortalised in the 1993 Walt Disney movie, Cool Runnings , where Stokes (the Vice President of the Jamaican Bobsleigh Federation and a member of the original team that took part in four consecutive editions of the Winter Olympic games) had a starring role.
 

The creation and the success of the JBT saw the bobsleigh discipline taken up by other of teams from tropical countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, and the Netherlands Antilles.

The charismatic profile of the JBT with its reputation for taking up the challenge with enthusiasm, dignity and sheer hard work, and its blossoming in the true ideals of the Olympic spirit led to the current connection between the JBT and Fiat Auto. In 2004 Fiat celebrated the achievements of the JBT with the appearance of the special edition of he Fiat Dobló Cargo which was known as the 'Jamaicar'. The Dobló 'Jamaicar' van was finished in the striking colours of the Jamaican national flag. Fiat's backing of the JBT also saw a 'Jamaicar' version of the new Panda 4x4 being shown, and a hilarious TV advert featuring both the team and the tiny new four wheel drive car followed. Other recent initiative has included the the Village on Tour (an itinerant initiative that visited the best known Italian seaside resorts in the Summer), and Jamaica House, a piece of Jamaica in the Turin Olympic Valleys where the team trained last Summer.

As of 2002, the JBT consisted of Mark Hill, Lascelles Brown, Garnett Jones, Stewart Maxwell, Clive McDonald, Wayne Thomas, Dudley Stokes, and team captain Winston Watt. The women's team made up of Porscha Morgan, Winsome Cole, Taniesha LcLean and Dukelyn Barrett. The JBT has had a regular presence in Winter Olympics since it has competed in every edition of the Games since 1988, but unfortunately they failed to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics, being held in Turin . However, Lascelles Brown will compete for Canada as a Canadian citizen, along with driver Pierre Lueders, in the two-man sledding category. The JBT currently trains in Evanston, Wyoming USA, its base since 1997 and all their fans are waiting for their return to the bobsleigh run during the next Winter Olympics, in February 2010 at Vancouver (Canada) to continue to justify their motto: "The Hottest Thing on Ice".