Bobsleigh-Weight limits exclude larger women, competitors say

YANQING, China : As the women's bobsleigh teams prepare to push to their limits in the Olympic competition starting on Friday, come competitors believe they are also pushing against a different kind of limitation - one placed on their weight.

A two-person bobsleigh must weigh a minimum of 170 kilos in both the men's or women's competition, according to rules from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), the sport's governing body.

The men must weigh less than 390 kilos combined with their bobsleigh and the women and their bobsleigh must be below 330 kilos, leaving little room for athletes with bigger builds.

The IBSF reduced the weight limits for the two-woman event from 2015, in a bid to reduce the amount of bulking-up women needed to do.

"The IBSF saw an increased number of female athletes starting to participate in bobsleigh over the last years which follows an initiative by the IBSF development program," the IBSF said in a statement to Reuters.

"This program for example also supported the women's monobob program in the past two years."

For relatively lighter competitors like Australia's Breeana Walker and Kiara Reddingius, the weight limits are in the right place.

"We're a bit smaller than some of the girls, we actually have to put a bit of weight on, so for us it's not a problem," said Reddingius on Thursday.

"I'm a smaller-size pilot, there's a lot of smaller-sized pilots, we struggle to make those upper kilos," said Walker.

"You have to keep eating and maintain your training and that can be really hard. It works both ways - it's hard to put on weight but also hard to take off weight," Walker added.

Other athletes said the reduction had caused problems.

"I really do think there is a major issue when you