You won't catch me on the ice or the ballpark: Bolt

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt flashes the victory sign during a press conference in Ostrava. Bolt has vowed not to swap his sprinting spikes for a pair of skates after news that Jamaica had been accepted as a member nation of the International Ice Hockey Federation.

OSTRAVA, Czech Republic (AFP) - Usain Bolt has vowed not to swap his sprinting spikes for a pair of skates after news that Jamaica had been accepted as a member nation of the International Ice Hockey Federation.

Following in the unlikely footsteps of a Jamaican bobsled team that made its debut at the 1998 Olympics in Calgary and who were immortalised in the hugely popular “Cool Runnings” movie, the Caribbean island formed its ice hockey federation last year with one rink, and became an IIHF member this week.

With just 20 players in Jamaica, reigning double Olympic sprint champion Bolt insisted he would not be roped in, even if the immediate goal for the Jamaican federation is taking part in the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

“It’s this bobsled thing!” joked Bolt, speaking ahead of his European season track debut over 100m in this eastern Czech city on Friday.

“It was kind of surprising when I heard. I was watching the sports news (on television) and it came up with ‘we’re going to do ice hockey’.

“How can you do that in Jamaica?! That’s not possible.

“I know one person who won’t be on that team – me!” he said to chuckles from a local sporting press who spend a lot of time covering ice hockey given that the Czech Republic are one of the “Big Six” countries, six-time world champions and former Olympic champions.

Bolt, who appeared before the press wearing a New York Yankees cap, also seemed non-plussed when questioned about his choice of headwear.

“It’s just a hat,” he said, blaming friends who were Yankees fans for having worn it.

“I think baseball is kind of boring. It’s not as much fun as football or NFL.”