Two athletes were injured during these qualification runs -- one suffered a broken collar bone -- but it cannot even afford a medical team for the Games.
There has even been disagreement over the flag-handing-over ceremony for the teams' Olympians, with claims that the government has not adequately recognized their sporting achievements.
The National Council of Physical Education and Sports has confirmed that a flag-handing-over ceremony will take place, but said its chairman, Hsu Yi-hsiung (
"We risk life and limb for our country," Lee said, "but they do not respect this."
Bobsled and luge are dangerous sports. Riders will hurtle down an ice-covered track at speeds of up to 140kph and experience G-forces similar to an F-16 fighter going into a dive.
A four-man bobsled team comprises a driver at the front and a brakeman at the back.
The other two are called side-push men. One other team member is necessary because of the likelihood of injury.
At the start of their run, they will push-start the sled and jump in. The weight of the sled and gravity will pull them through a series of turns and straight sections to the bottom of the run.
There will be four runs which are timed to .01 of a second. The final standings are determined by the total time taken by the team over the four runs, with the winner having the lowest aggregate time.
Finding the best racing line is the key to bobsledding and the role of driver Chen Chin-shan is critical.
He must struggle with a violently unstable bobsled and keep it on a path that will achieve the fastest time down the run.
On the right track
He must keep the sled high enough on the track to maintain speed, but not too high -- otherwise the sled will fly off the track.
Chen must also keep the sled low enough on the track to travel the shortest possible distance.
To steer, the driver holds ropes connected to four polished steel runners. Most drivers wear gloves, but some steer bare-handed to have a better feel for the ropes.
Crew members shift weight to help the driver steer and though they can't see the track ahead they learn the timing of a particular run's curves.
The competition is spread over two days and around 45 teams from nearly 20 countries have qualified for the competition.
Taiwan's bobsled team does not have much of a hope of winning, but it does have the Olympic spirit of competition.
Luge and bobsled chairman Hsu said that realistically Taiwan was likely to be placed in the bottom 20 teams, but it was aiming for a top-20 position.
Its luge team still needs to pick up points to qualify for the Salt Lake City finals.
Lee has a cure for Taiwan's Olympic ills and the medicine is private sponsorship. "Then the NT$600 million that is given to sports associations every year can be used to help the jobless situation."
This year, however, the remedy will not arrive in time.
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