Cool Runnings 2: Jamaican Bobsledders Qualify for Sochi Winter Olympics, Raise Money Through Dogecoin
Two days ago, the Jamaican bobsled team qualified for the Sochi Winter Olympics. One day ago, news outlets made it known that they could not afford the costs of attending the Olympics and had turned to donations to raise the money required to go. By this time today, they are the unlikely beneficiaries of the kindness of strangers: a concerted effort by fans of the movie Cool Runnings has raised $30,000 to help send the team to Sochi. At the time of writing, donations are still pouring in.
The Jamaican bobsled team consists of two men: driver Winston Watts and brakeman Marvin Dixon. Jamaica has not qualified for the Winter Olympics in bobsled since 2002. The team burst onto the scene by qualifying for the Olympics in 1988, a qualification that was made improbable by the country's lack of experience in the sport.
Later, their story became a part of pop culture with the 1993 release of the movie Cool Runnings which was a fictionalized account of their experience. According to one fan who donated, Cool Runnings was the "ultimate feel-good movie about underdogs out of their element achieving their dreams." The popularity of that movie and its fans' appreciation of it may prove to be enough to send this year's duo from Jamaica to a spot in the Winter Olympics in Russia this February.
The money was raised by The Dogecoin Foundation, which according to their website is a "non-profit organization created by the Founders of Dogecoin for the purpose of spreading the use of the currency through goodwill and charitable endeavors." The Dogecoin Foundation, created by Liam Butler, is a holder of the cryptocurrency known as Dogecoin, created by Jackson Palmer and Billy Markus.
A cryptocurrency is a digital medium of exchange which uses principles of cryptography to implement a distributed, decentralized and secure information economy. The fundraiser has yet to reach its goal of $40,000. If it does, we might be hearing the movie's catchphrase: "Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up, it's bobsled time!"
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!