Underdogs

Underdogs

Disadvantaged sportsmen - embracing the spirit of 'taking part'

In an industry apparently obsessed with winning, some competitors become famous for swimming against the tide and embracing the principle that it's the taking part that counts.

In May 2003, the International Olympic Committee announced a change to the rules:

Jacques Rogge said he felt substandard athletes were making "a farce" out of the Games.

The wild-card system was designed to be inclusionary. It had in the past resulted in some substandard athletes being allowed to compete in the Games. They didn't win, but they were popular with the spectators and sometimes attracted more publicity than the winners.

Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards

Winter Olympics, 1988: Edwards, a self-funded competitor in the ski jump, qualified initially because he was the only British applicant. Undaunted even when he finished last in both his skiing events, he became increasingly popular with audiences as a courageous good sport.

Eric "the Eel" Moussambani

Summer Olympics, 2000: A swimmer from Equatorial Guinea, Moussambani qualified under a wildcard heat designed to encourage developing nations to compete. He placed last in the 100m freestyle swimming event. His time was more than double that of the winner, and he struggled to finish at all.

Hearing the 2003 announcement, Edwards said:

Should the sporting authorities have paid more heed to the popularity of "inept" athletes? Edwards and Moussambani seem to embody de Coubertin's Olympic ideal of "not winning but taking part".

Certainly no measurable harm seems to be done to winning athletes if a substandard competitor also takes part - apart from possibly having to share the limelight.

Requiring extremely high standards has the effect of excluding nations with fewer resources, whose athletes do not have access to the best training equipment.

Moussambani had never seen a full-size Olympic swimming pool before he competed in the Games - which could have some bearing on why he lost!