Australia’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for inclusion of the women’s two-man bobsleigh, driven by Astrid Loch-Wilkinson with brakeman Cecilia McIntosh, has been successful.

CAS ruled in favour of the Australian Olympic Committee’s representation that the International Bobsleigh Federation (FIBT) had erred by not following its own Olympic qualification guidelines regarding continental representation.

However rather than including the Australian sled at the expense of another team, CAS has recommended to the IOC that a 21st sled be included into the existing field.

The decision is yet to be ratified by the IOC, however it would be unusual for a CAS ruling not to be accepted.

The ruling ensures that the 20th sled qualified, that of Irish pair Aoife Hoey and Claire Bergin, will remain in the field, as suggested by the AOC’s representatives at the CAS hearing.

Loch-Wilkinson and McIntosh have been waiting nervously at a Vancouver hotel for days, and particularly the 20 hours between the end of the five-hour CAS hearing and the notification of the panel’s recommendation.

Now the pair need to complete their outfitting, receive their accreditation, paint their sled and move to the Whistler Olympic Village.

The first heats of the women’s bobsleigh are on Tuesday week, February 23rd (Vancouver time).

AOC