Bobsleighers get accolade

Ireland’s first women’s Olympic bobsleigh competitors, Aoife Hoey and Claire Bergin, have been named as joint ‘Sportswoman of the Month’ for January.

The ladies have won the Irish Times/Irish Sports Council-sponsored accolade for their performance that resulted in a top-20 finish at the Women's Bobsleigh World Cup Round 7 races in San Moritz in January which secured their qualification for the Winter Olympics, set to begin tomorrow in Vancouver.

The ladies endured a week of waiting for the ruling of the Court of Arbitration of Sport following a late legal challenge from the Australian Olympic Committee which threatened Ireland’s qualifying position.

They were cleared to compete on Tuesday night after Australia were granted an extra spot.

However, their position is still under question following news of an objection from the Brazilian team, who are taking a second case to the Court. Their case is based on Ireland’s late entry into the qualifying campaign, with Brazil now looking for yet another place in the event.

A decision will be heard later today.