Sports Stories Reading Comprehension

Free printable reading comprehension passage with a sports theme. Print for offline use or test comprehension with the online quiz. Recommended level: 4th Grade and up

Bobsledding Jamaican Style

At first everyone thought it was a joke. The Caribbean nation of Jamaica was sending a bobsled team to the Olympics. The tropical island had never before sent an athlete to compete in the Winter Olympic Games.

The Jamaican bobsled team made its Olympic debut at the 1988 games in Calgary, Canada. The team was definitely the underdog and became a fan favorite. They arrived with almost no practice going down a real bobsled run. They even had to borrow sleds from other countries to compete.

Although they finished in last place, they won the notice of the world. They were later the subjects of a Disney movie called Cool Runnings.

They showed that they were definitely not a joke by making return appearances at future Winter Olympics. At Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994, Jamaica's four-man sled surprised everyone by finishing in 14th place, ahead of both sleds from the United States. Since then, Jamaica has had both men's and women's bobsled teams compete in international events.

The idea of a Jamaican bobsled team is not completely crazy. Jamaica has a tradition of great sprinters and bobsled racing requires a similar skill to get off quickly in the important push start.

Source:worksheetsplus.com/Reading/4thReadingSoortsBobsled.html Bobsledding Jamaican Style
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Where were the Olympics held in 1988?
Calgary
Lillehammer
Salt Lake City
Calgary Where did the Jamaican bobsled team place in the 1994 games?
first
14th
last
14th What is the name of the movie about the Jamaican bobsled team?
The Hottest Thing on Ice
Cool Runnings
Bobsledding Jamaican Style
Cool Runnings What does “made their Olympic debut” mean?
They got their first medal at the Olympics.
They were at the Olympics for the first time.
They weren’t successful at the Olympics.
They were at the Olympics for the first time. In the 1994 WInter Olympics, the Jamaican bobsled team placed ahead of the American team.
True
False
It doesn't say in the story.
True Why are sprinting skills good for bobsledders?
A fast push start is important for sprinters and bobsledders.
so you can run to the finish line
so you can run if your sled stalls
A fast push start is important for sprinters and bobsledders. Why were people surprised that there was a Jamaican bobsled team?
Jamaica is a tropical country with no snow.
Jamaica had never been at a Winter Olympics.
Both are true.
Both are true.