Considered the world's first sliding sport, skeleton originated in the Swiss town of St. Moritz in the late 1800s. The first competition was held in 1884. Riders raced down the road from St. Moritz to Celerina, where the winner received a bottle of champagne. It wasn't until 1887 that riders began competing in the prone position used today. The sport took its name in 1892, when a new sled made mostly of metal was introduced. People thought it looked like a skeleton. The sport's governing body, the Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et Tobagganing (FIBT), was founded in 1923.This competition has been part of the official program since the 1st Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix Mont Blanc in 1924.
Olympic skeleton events consists of two runs timed electronically to 0.01 seconds. The two runs are contested on the same day and the final standings determined by the aggregate time of the two runs. If athletes complete the competition in a tie, they receive the same award.
