Eddie the Eagle
Michael Edwards (born 5 December 1963), better known as Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards, was the first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic Ski jumping.
Edwards was born in Cheltenham and was working as a plasterer when he qualified for the 1988 Winter Olympics ski-jump competition. He had previously represented Great Britain at the 1987 World Championships, and was ranked 55th in the world at ski jump. He qualified simply because no other Briton applied. He was handicapped by his weight - at about 82 kg (180 pounds), more than 9kg (20 pounds) heavier than the next heaviest competitor - and by his lack of financial support for training - he was totally self-funded - and so he finished last in both the 70m and 90m events. Another problem was that his glasses fogged to such an extent that he could not see. However, his evident courage, his irreverent character, and his lack of success warmed people to him all across the globe. The worse he did, the more popular he became. He subsequently became a media celebrity and appeared on talk-shows around the world. The press nicknamed him "Mr. Magoo," and one Italian journalist called him a "ski dropper." Edwards lived the high life in Calgary, with fine-dining and an adoring female entourage of "Eaglettes."[1]
Edwards subsequently released a book (and a video) called On the piste (ISBN 0233994971) and much later a song called Fly Eddie Fly that reached the Top 50 in the UK. Though he doesn't speak Finnish, Eddie also recorded this song in Finnish, in which it was titled 'Mun nimeni on Eetu' ("Eetu's my name"). Eddie's less-than-perfect pronunciation adds to its appeal. He also recorded the Finnish-language song 'Eddien Siivella' ("On Eddie's Wing").
He declared bankruptcy in 1992, claiming a trust fund set up to handle his earnings was not done so properly. He is now a law student at De Montfort University in Leicester. "I've been interested in law since taking out a civil action against my trustees 10 years ago," he remarked in a 2001 interview.[2]
In March 2002, the exclusive film and TV rights to Eddie's story were purchased by an American production company. It is said that Edwards will perform some of the ski-jumps in the movie.
The Eddie 'the Eagle' Rule
In response to the Edwards phenomenon, in 1990 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) instituted what became known as the Eddie the Eagle Rule, which requires Olympic hopefuls to compete in international events and place in the top 30 percent or the top 50 competitors.
Edwards consequently failed to qualify for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, and the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, but managed to get a 5-year sponsorship from Eagle Airlines, a small British charter company serving Guernsey in order to fund his attempt to reach the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. However, he failed to qualify for the games in Nagano as well.