Proposed Ski Jump Rules May Stop Edwards From Soaring Again

Britain’s Eddie (the Eagle) Edwards, whose ski jumping ineptitude and sense of humor made him the clown prince of the Calgary Olympics, may be grounded at international events by some proposed rule changes.

An East German newspaper said on Wednesday that the International Ski Federation’s (FIS) proposed new rules would allow the top 50 jumpers in the world to qualify for events automatically with 30 others forced to pass a distance test in two compulsory jumps.

“This means de facto the exit for Eddie Edwards, who rose to dubious fame at Calgary,” the Communist youth daily Junge Welt said. “That is, unless he trains hard, very hard . . .”

The bespectacled Briton was by far the worst ski jumper at this year’s Winter Olympics, and there was some talk of banning him from competing there for his own safety.