Popular Jamaican bobsled team qualifies for Sochi

The Jamaican two-man bobsled team has qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. But whether or not they'll be able to actually get to the Games to compete is another story entirely.

The two-man team of 46-year-old Winston Watts and Marvin Dixon only had to finish their qualifying run in St. Moritz, Switzlerland, with a clean, crash-free run this weekend to earn a spot to compete at the Olympics. They've accomplished this piece.

But despite the clean run, the challenge is not over for the duo of Dixon and Watts, who due to his age is likely in his final attempt to qualify for the Olympics.

The tale conjures up memories obstacles faced by the four-man Jamaican bobsled team sensationalized in Cool Runnings, a film featuring Canadian acting star John Candy as the formerly disgraced American athlete turned coach Irv Blizter who guided the team to the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary.

The 2014 obstacles are less about legitimacy and more about funding. Getting to Sochi and what would be a Jamaican bobsled team's first appearance since the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City is going to be contingent on securing enough sponsorship to fund the trip.

I, for one, am hoping for a sponsorship explosion for the team - I'll be cheering if they make it and likely reciting one of the many memorable lines from Cool Runnings in the process... Likely Sanka Coffie's "Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time!

If early response to news of the team's financial difficulty is any indication - #CoolRunnings is trending on Twitter - the should be able to win this battle, too.

Here's a 16x9 story on the former athletes that inspired the Cool Runnings movie: