1988: Eddie The Eagle Edwards

Sport, especially in this internet age, divides opinion. As soon as anything happens that is slightly contentious - for example, the Luis Suarez penalty against Aston Villa recently - you just know what is coming. Battle lines are drawn, as views are expressed passionately, and heaven forbid anyone whose perspective on an incident differs from that which is seen as the definitive answer. It makes you wonder how the modern world would have coped with some of the sporting events of yesteryear.

Take Eddie The Eagle Edwards for instance. For some, the man was a hero, someone who sacrificed a lot to live the dream, an athlete who competed with a smile on his face, and deservedly reaped the rewards of his unexpected fame whilst he could. For others, Edwards was a laughing stock, belittling both the sport of ski jumping and the 1988 Winter Olympics, and represented everything that was bad in a nation that seemed to adore sporting losers. Either way, the story behind Edwards' rise to stardom is still fascinating all these years later, and love him or hate him, you cannot deny Edwards his place in Winter Olympics history.