The sport hasn't always been miniature rockets propelling down a man-made track at extreme velocities.
Among the most intense sports at the Winter Olympics are the bobsled events, or officially, "bobsleigh."
The bobsled events that most of us are familiar with involve what look like miniature rockets propelling down a man-made track at extreme velocities, often under the cover of a roof to protect the track from the elements.
But things were much different nearly 100 years ago when the sport was part of the first Winter Olympics in 1924, held in Chamonix, France.
Below is a look at just how much the sport has evolved through the years, with a lot of help from the IOC who collected video from many of the Olympiads. You can see that video here.
1924 — Chamonix, France
Gold medalists:
Men's Four/Five: Switzerland-1
The track in 1924 looked like somebody dug a track in their backyard
1932 — Lake Placid, USA
Gold medalists:
Men's Two: United States-1
Men's Four: United States-1
It looks like the racers were wearing leather football helmets with some primitive facemasks. Also note the steering wheel.
1936 — Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Gold medalists:
Men's Two: United States-1
Men's Four: Switzerland-2
The track was still cut into the hillside, but it looked like it was starting to be built for serious speed.
1948 — Sankt Moritz, Switzerland
Gold medalists:
Men's Two: Switzerland-2
Men's Four: United States-2
While some teams started to incorporate more aerodynamics into the sleds, some were still using standard steering wheels.
1952 — Oslo, Norway
Gold medalists:
Men's Two: Germany-1
Men's Four: Germany
Some of the sleds started to look like race cars.
1956 — Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
Gold medalists:
Men's Two: Italy-1
Men's Four: Switzerland-1
And still just cutting tracks into the hillside.
1964 — Innsbruck, Austria
Gold medalists:
Men's Two: Great Britain-1
Men's Four: Canada-1
1972 — Sapporo, Japan
Gold medalists:
Men's Two: West Germany-2
Men's Four: Switzerland-1
Check out those helmets
1988 — Calgary, Canada
Gold medalists:
Men's Two: Soviet Union-1
Men's Four: Switzerland-1
1998 — Calgary, Canada
Gold medalists:
Men's Two: Italy-1; Canada-1
Men's Four: Germany-2
2006 —Torino, Italy
Gold medalists:
Men's Two: Germany-1
Men's Four: Germany-1
Women's Two: Germany-1
2018 —Pyeongchang, South Korea
Now check out the best photos from the Olympics so far.
The 34 best photos of the Winter Olympics so far
Sports: Images show just how much the Olympic bobsled event has changed over the years
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