Cool Runnings 2.0: $30,000 raised in a day to help the Jamaican bobsleigh team compete at Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics

The Jamaican team have asked the public to help them raise funds so they can compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics come February.

The Jamaican bobsleigh team of Winston Alexander Watt and Lascelles Oneil Brown in action in the Men's Two-Man Bobsleigh event during the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games 2002, in Utah. (Robert Laberge/Getty Images )

In a repeat of the story told in the film Cool Runnings with a 21st century twist, $30,000 has been raised in a day for the Jamaican bobsleigh team using an online crytocurrency.

Similarly to the plot of the popular1990s movie loosely based on Jamaica qualifying for the 1988 Winter Olympics, the sportsmen need help to make it to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

The team has asked members of the public to help raise the $80,000 they need to pay for their equipment and travel.

In an attempt to help the team make Sochi, The Dogecoin Foundation - the people behind the meme-based crytocurrency the Dogecoin - had raised 26 million Doge by Monday. The amount is equivalent to the more stable currency of $33,000 US Dollars.

The Jamaican team had themselves raised $6,974 by Monday, using their own indiegogo.com page. They hope to raise the full amount in 20 days, and are using the hashtag #JamaicaBobsled to promote their cause.

Currently in 39th place out of the 30 teams in the rankings, the island’s bobsledders are expected to move up to 31st place when other nations with more than two qualifiers are removed.

The Dutch second team will then be the remaining team to stand in their way, but are expected to withdraw because they have not achieved the standard agreed with their national governing body.

Team Jamaica posted a tweet that appeared to be from the Sochi 2014 official Twitter page confirming their place on 18 January, but the post was later removed and their place remains unconfirmed.

If the team makes the final cut, it will be the first time they have competed at the Winter Games for 12 years.

Winston Watts, one half of the Jamaican bobsleigh team, told the Telegraph in mid-January: “In truth, we still don’t really know at the moment if we’d even have enough funds or sponsorship to fly to Sochi itself for the Games itself.”

He added: “It all depends. Our families need to be taken care of first. If there’s no funding, who knows?"

The 2014 Winter Olympics begins on 7 February, with the final teams being confirmed by each nation’s Olympic Committee between January 28th and February 5th.

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