Eddie Eagle facts

While investigating facts about Eddie Eagle, I found out little known, but curios details like:

Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards was the 1st Olympic ski jumper for England in 52 years. He had no money, no coach, no team and only learned to ski jump 18 months earlier. He wore 6 pairs of socks inside his second hand boots, a helmet given to him by the Italians, and used skis from the Austrian team.

Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards - A Ski Jumper from the UK who competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics. He had no prior training in Ski Jumping, and only managed to represent the UK because there were no other British Ski Jumpers with whom to compete for a place.

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 9 of the best facts about Eddie Eagle I managed to collect.

1. Both the Jamaica Bobsled team & 'Eddie the Eagle' competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics due to faulty rules, and the Olympic Committee fixed those subsequently to prevent further such instances

2. The International Olympic Committee were so embarrassed by the performance of 'Eddie the Eagle' during the 1988 Winter Olympics that they changed the rules about who would be allowed to qualify. This was known as the 'Eddie the Eagle Rule'. He never qualified again.

3. Producer Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman, Kick Ass, and the upcoming Eddie The Eagle, made his production company logo (MARV) in the style of a colorblindness test. Matthew Vaughn is colorblind himself and therefore can't see his company logo when he screens his own movies.

4. Eddie the Eagle" competed in ski jump at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. He was so clumsy the organizers begged the British to not let him compete. He became a folk hero to the fans, and had a movie made about his life.

5. Eddie 'The Eagle' competed for Britain in the 1988 Winter Olympics. He had no funding, wore fogged-over glasses and weighed 9kg more than any rival. He came last and was dubbed the ski-dropper in the media but became a legendary figure in the UK, earning up to £10,000/hr for public appearances.

6. Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, an amateur British skier who made it to the Olympics in 1988. Despite finishing last in his events, he became the British ski jumping record holder and a stunt jumping world record holder for jumping over 6 buses.

7. Eddie the Eagle' won't make a dollar from the new film based on his life, as he sold the film rights to his life story 18 years ago for £180,000. This money was in a poorly managed trust fund, so what he had left of it was taken by his now ex-wife in their divorce earlier this year.