GB Olympian Moore back in bobsleigh after Jamaica switch
2025-01-16
Category: sports

Great Britain 2018 Winter Olympian Mica Moore says it is a "tremendous honour" to represent Jamaica after switching allegiance.Moore, 32, achieved Britain's best result in women's bobsleigh when she and Mica McNeill finished eighth at the Pyeongchang Games.She left the British programme in 2022 after claiming she had witnessed "damaging and offensive behaviour".After a long process of applying for Jamaican citizenship, Moore received confirmation on New Year's Eve and will be back racing in a bobsleigh on Friday, 17 January, but this time in the green, black and gold of her grandfather's nation."I've always had pride in my heritage and I think that's what's so lovely for me," she told BBC Sport Wales."I've grown up around not many people who look like me. But my mum has always instilled my culture and my heritage into me."It's been a really, really long process. But I'm so happy. I feel so much pride every time I step on the track now."
After that historic result at the 2018 Games for Great Britain, Moore had hoped to be a part of Team GB in Beijing in 2022.But just weeks before the Games she quit the programme, highlighting  "damaging and offensive behaviour" towards "the BAME community and women".The British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association thanked Moore for raising her concerns and said the allegation did not involve a BBSA staff member, but that a verbal warning was issued and additional diversity and inclusion training implemented.But despite a challenging ending, Moore says she still has "fantastic memories" from her time in the Great Britain team."The experiences that I've had as part of Britain have shaped me as the person I am today," she added.  "The challenges that I've overcome are going to make the future of me in this sport a lot easier."I'm a bit of a veteran of this sport now, which is really weird to feel. I've been here since 2016. "I've experienced different teams, different coaches, different staff members and different environments. "For me as an athlete that's perfect. You want to practise in all these different scenarios whether they'd be good, bad or ugly."So moving forward I am the most experienced athlete I can be to bring to Jamaica and go and get results for them."
Moore's grandfather, Venson Byfield, came to the UK in the Windrush generation.The family settled just outside of Newport in south Wales. But Jamaica was never far from their hearts, as they even installed a Jamaican-themed bar in the garden.Moore started out in athletics and went to the 2014 Commonwealth Games with Wales.When she switched to bobsleigh, reference began to the 1993 comedy film Cool Runnings, based on the Jamaica men who competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics.Those references are ramping up again for Moore, who says she is happy to hear them as they only highlights the history of the nation in the sport.After finally receiving official confirmation of her switch on 31 December, 2024 Moore had to move fast. Races were planned and travel was booked.Just over two weeks on and Moore is ready to hit the ice again in a Europe Cup event in Lillehammer, after a three-year absence from racing.It is early days yet, but she cannot pretend she has not thought about next year's Winter Olympics."The fire inside me is very much lit," Moore said. "That's just the athlete I've always been."I want to show what I'm able to achieve not just for myself but also for my nation. A crazy goal is to get Jamaica their best result [at an Olympics]. But you're got to get there first."You've got to tick all the boxes and make sure your seat's on that plane."