This article was originally published on Mako
Every two years, the world becomes abuzz with excitement for the Olympics. To watch athletes perform seemingly superhuman feats never seems to get old, and the magic of the Games inspires countries to put aside their differences and come together through the celebration of sport. That said, sometimes the competition gets a little too fierce, and athletes, judges, or even entire nations are driven to take drastic measures in order to win. Sometimes these measures are relatively harmless, but others become the sources of great controversy. Read on for some of the most scandalous events in Olympic history.
The Salute That Shook Mexico City - 1968
African-American runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos used their moment on the podium after placing in the 200-meter race to make a political statement, sticking their black-gloved fists in the air during the Star-Spangled Banner in a protest many perceived as a 'Black Power' solute. They claimed the move was in support of human rights, but when they returned home following the events they weren't exactly met with a warm reception.
They explained in later interviews that they felt a moral obligation to share with Olympic viewers that despite the big smiles and fancy jackets seen on TV, all was not equal in American society.
Harding Vs. Kerrigan - Norway, 1994
So controversial it became the subject of the 2017 film 'I, Tonya', you'd be hardpressed to find anyone alive during this 1994 scandal who doesn't remember the event. Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked and her leg injured by a large man during a practice to determine which skaters would make the US Olympic team. Shortly after, it was revealed that the man was hired by her opponent Tonya Harding's ex-husband and bodyguard.
Even more controversial was the discovery that Harding knew about the attack beforehand. The plan didn't exactly work; Kerrigan ended up taking silver while Harding went home with 8th place and a fine.
No Gold for Ben Johnson - Seoul, 1988
Don't do drugs, kids, or you might lose your Olympic medals. In 1988, Canadian runner Ben Johnson was stripped of the gold medal he'd won after coming in first in the 100-meter event after testing positive for anabolic steroids. Johnson wasn't the only one to get in trouble for using performance-enhancing drugs, either. Six of his fellow runners in the event were later discovered to have been using banned substances as well.
Johnson was honest about his drug use and admitted that he'd been using PEDs for almost a decade, but has also shared that he feels he was unfairly targeted by the International Olympic Commitee.
Oh, Tokyo - 2020/2021
The most recent summer Olympics was not without its controversies. Aside from being pushed back a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a great deal of concern for the safety of the athletes was expressed when it was announced that some of the events were scheduled to take place in Fukushima where radiation levels are still dangerously high as the result of the nuclear disaster that took place there in 2011.
Event organizers also had to scrap the logo and create a new one after a Belgian artist accused them of plagiarizing his work. One of the designers even admitted he'd copied others' work before.
A Kick in the Face - Beijing, 2008
During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Taekwondo fighter Angel Matos kicked a referee in the face after taking a time out due to an injury. The time out permitted was only supposed to last for 60 seconds, but Matos didn't return when the minute was up and so the referee called the match in his opponent's favor. He decided to take out his frustration with the ref with a kick.
Not only did his protest not change the results of the match, it actually earned him a lifetime ban from the sport. Years later, he said he still regrets his actions.
Lochte's a Liar - Rio, 2016
A group of American swimmers including Ryan Lochte got drunk, broke down a gas station door, and peed in public while in Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympics. They then claimed that they were robbed at gunpoint while at the gas station, but were later discovered to have been lying. In actuality, they were confronted by security guards for their vandalism and gave the guards money for the property they destroyed.
Lochte eventually apologized for the way he'd portrayed the night's events, but still ended up losing four big sponsorships and getting suspended for 10 months by the US Olympic Committee.
Blood in the Water - Australia, 1956
Political tensions were on full display during a water polo match at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. Hungary had been invaded by the Soviet Union shortly before and in an effort to showcase Hungarian pride went into the match intending to provoke the Russian team in a way that would negatively impact their playing. It worked, and at one point Russian player Valentin Prokopov punched the Hungarian Ervin Zador in the eye.
The match has gone down as one of the most well-known scandals in Olympic history. It was the subject of the 2006 documentary 'Freedom's Fury' as well as the film 'Children of Glory.'
Bribery in Salt Lake City - 2002
Salt Lake City, Utah only won the rights to host the Winter Olympics on its fifth bidding attempt. It was finally agreed in 1995 that the city would host the 2002 Olympics, but things got complicated in 1998 when it was revealed that members of the IOC had taken bribes from the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. Multiple IOC officials resigned, and an official investigation by the US Department of Justice was opened.
A total of fifteen charges of bribery and fraud were filed, and the scandal resulted in the expulsion of several Olympic Committee members as well as the introduction of new IOC rules.
Evictions in Rio - 2016
Darn poor people, they're so inconvenient. At least, if you're a billionaire real estate developer looking to build an Olympic village. Over 80% of the inhabitants of a particular Brazilian favela, or slum, were evicted when the developers decided they just had to build Olympic pools, stadiums, and tennis courts in the exact location of this working-class village. Why give money to help people when you can have a shiny new arena instead?
The worst part of this is that people were permanently kicked out of their homes for an event only lasting a little over two weeks. Following the Olympics, stadiums are typically abandoned.
Perks of Being the Host Country - Seoul, 1988
In another controversy from the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korean boxer Park Si-hun faced off against American Roy Jones Jr. and despite Jones Jr. landing 54 more punches than Si-hun during their match, Si-hun was declared the winner by the judges. It was later revealed that South Korean officials had taken the judges out for dinner in an effort to persuade them to award South Korea the win.
The judging in Si-hun's favor was so controversial that the IOC issued an entirely new scoring system for boxing as a result in order to prevent similar issues from happening in the future.
Displacement in China - 2008
The eviction of local Brazilians in order to build an Olympic village in 2016 was not the first time such displacement had occurred. The Chinese government issued similar eviction notices in impoverished areas under the guise of implementing "environmental improvement projects" in preparation for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The local government publicly claimed that those displaced received compensation, though reports by human rights groups show that may not have been true for everyone.
The populations that were not able to be moved were hidden behind concrete walls intended to make the city more aesthetically appealing. If you can't see it, it doesn't exist, right?
Boris Caught Cheating - Montreal,1976
Boris Onishchenko represented the Soviet Union in the pentathlon event of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Quebec, Canada, and having won as part of the gold medal team 4 years prior, expectations of the athlete were high. The pressure to bring home the gold as an individual led him to take the drastic measure of altering his fencing épée so that it would register hits against his opponent when there were none.
Onishchenko's efforts for continued Soviet glory backfired. He received a lifetime ban after his alterations were discovered, the British fencer he'd competed against won gold, and he went on to become a taxi driver.
Yet Another Doping Scandal - 2014+
Even after decades of Olympic competitors getting busted for using PEDs, it seems like there are always a few who still think they can get away with it. In this case, it wasn't just one athlete, it was actually an entire national team. Russia was found to have been leading a state-sponsored systematic doping program from 2011 to 2015. The discovery led the country to ultimately be stripped of over 40 Olympic medals.
The Russian Federation was also banned from competing in all major sports for four years, including the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. If athletes wished to compete, it had to be under a neutral flag.
More Scandal in Salt Lake - 2002
After an already rocky start as a result of the Organizing Committee's bribery of Olympic officials, the scandal in Salt Lake continued when Russia beat Canada for the coveted gold medal in pairs figure skating. It was widely agreed by spectators and the media that the Canadian competitors had a better routine, so when it was announced Russia had won many were suspicious cheating had occurred, involving the French judge in particular.
It was shortly revealed that judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne was pressured by the French skating organization to vote for the Russian team. Scoring guidelines were changed as a result of the affair.
Head on Collision in LA - 1984
Runners Zola Budd of Great Britain and American Mary Decker was hyped up as rivals leading up to the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California, so it was quite suspicious when they bumped into each other multiple times while running in the 3000-meter event. After a particularly impactful collision, Decker fell and was unable to continue running. Media outlets and spectators alike criticized Budd for having run into Decker on purpose.
Decker herself said in various interviews following the event that she blamed Budd for making her fall, although later changed her stance and said that she considered the collision to have been accidental.
Mayhem in Munich, 1972
The United States Men's Basketball team was on a 36-year hot streak of wins at the Olympics, but all of that changed when it came to the finals of the 1972 Summer Games in Munich, Germany. During their face-off against the Soviet Union team, it seemed as if the Americans' winning streak would continue until the Soviet team scored right before the buzzer and brought the final score to 51-50.
To this day, the American team has not formally accepted their defeat and continues to protest by refusing to accept the silver medals that they still won despite their loss.
Inflated Skating Scores - Sochi, 2014
Another example of how it pays to compete for the host country of the Olympics. Spectators and Olympic fans were not happy when Adelina Sotnikova won the gold medal for women's figure skating over her competitor Kim Yuna. Many felt that there was something off about the scoring; even former figure skating champions expressed concern. The general consensus was that Sotnikova's scores had been inflated by Russian judges to help her win.
Some fans have claimed that Sotnikova was given full points for moves that she did not execute properly or to completion. Despite all of the criticism, she still holds the gold medal today.
Jim Thorpe Gets Stripped - Stockholm, 1912
Scandal as part of the Olympics is not a new phenomenon, indeed there have been instances of controversy since the games were revived in 1896, and the 1912 Olympic games in Stockholm, Sweden were no exception. American Jim Thorpe's legendary athletic ability brought him to win gold in the pentathlon and decathlon events until the IOC discovered that Thorpe had spent two years playing minor-league professional baseball and stripped him of his medals.
Thorpe's supporters perceived the IOC's rulings as racist as they punished Thorpe, who was part Native American, for rules white athletes often broke without consequence. At least his medals were later returned to his children.
Get Rid of That Guy! - Munich, 1972
Everyone thought that runner Frank Shorter had the men's marathon in the bag during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. He was leagues ahead of his competitors and not far from the finish line when an imposter from West Germany named Norbert Sudhaus ran onto the track ahead of him to try to psych him out. In a moment of frustration, the commentators yelled "Frank, it's a fake, Frank!"
Luckily, Sudhaus' efforts didn't work on Frank, who continued to the finish line to win the gold medal. No doubt, even if he thought he'd lost, he still wanted to make good time.
Hot During the Cold War - France, 1968
1968 was a big year when it came to the Olympic scandal. Just a few months before Smith and Carlos stirred up controversy with their black-gloved salutes, the East Germany Women's Luge team was disqualified for cheating at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. Luger Ortrun Enderlein made it to the finish line at such an astonishing speed that the International Luge Association Supervisor became suspicious and decided to examine her sled more closely.
It turned out Enderlein had used her knowledge of mechanics to rig her sled runners and heat them up so that they'd help increase her speed. She and her two teammates were disqualified.
Swedish Sore Loser - Beijing, 2008
Greco-Roman wrestler Ara Abrahamian of Sweden acted like a big fat baby at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Dissatisfied for having come in third place to win in the men's competition, he threw his bronze medal on the floor. Not only did this not change the results of the event, it actually led the IOC to hold a disciplinary hearing and disqualify him for "violating the spirit of the day."
It then got even worse for Abrahamian. He refused to apologize or acknowledge his poor behavior to the Olympic Committee, so they responded by banning him from the sport for life.
Boycott of Montreal - 1976
Multiple African nations asked the Olympic Committee to ban New Zealand from competing in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada after the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team toured South Africa while the country was governed by apartheid. Many felt their tour showed that they condoned the apartheid system and that New Zealand should be punished as a result. The IOC refused to ban New Zealand from competing, however.
29 countries decided to protest the Olympic Committee's decision by boycotting the games that year entirely, including Tanzania. Tanzania's boycott meant that the former 1,500-meter world record holder Filbert Bayi was unable to compete.
A Boycott of a Boycott - Moscow, 1980
Oh, the irony. The US decided to boycott the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the year prior. Sixty-five other nations sat out the games alongside the US, though some who abstained chose to do so for economic reasons rather than in protest, and some only sat out the opening ceremony. The Soviet Union ended up retaliating by boycotting the following Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Many of the athletes who would have competed were less than thrilled with the US's decision to boycott. Some went as far as to sue the government for denying them the chance to compete.
Dong Fangxiao Lies About Her Age - Sydney, 2000
Chinese gymnast Dong Fangxiao won bronze as part of the women's gymnastics team event at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia but was stripped of her medal eight years later when it was revealed that she had used a fake passport that listed her date of birth as three years prior to her actual birthday. She had been too young to compete in 2000 according to International Federation of Gymnastics rules.
Her falsification was discovered when she applied to work as a technical official during the 2008 Olympics and the documents she submitted had a different birthday than the ones she'd used in 2000.
Flipping Out in Nagano -1998
Surya Bonaly is the first and only professional figure skater to perform a backflip on the ice and land on one blade. She performed the trick during the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, knowing that it was prohibited in organized competition and would lose her points. While it's an incredibly impressive skill, Bonaly later said she was worried that performing it would cause a backlash and that people might hate her forever.
The backflip was an act of defiance. She knew that the Olympics would be her last and that the judges would not score her high regardless, so she performed the flip to please the audience.
Doping: It's Not Just for Humans - Beijing, 2008
Almost every time the Olympics are held some athlete gets busted for using PEDs, but in 2008, one of those who tested positive wasn't the competitor himself but his horse. Norwegian showjumper Tony Hansen was found guilty of giving his horse Camiro some capsaicin before the team jumping event. Capsaicin is a banned substance in professional showjumping; it's derived from chili peppers and can cause inflammation in a horse's legs.
When their legs are inflamed, horses tend to jump higher as bumping into obstacles will cause them pain. After Camiro tested positive for the substance, the Norwegian team was stripped of their bronze medals.
Delayed Glory - London, 2012
To great her great disappointment, Lydia Valentin of Spain placed fourth while competing in the women's 75-kilogram weightlifting competition during the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games. She came up one kilo short and appeared on TV to have been devastated by the loss. That is until her Russian, Belarussian, and Kazakh competitors were found six years later to have cheated by taking illegal PEDs. Following the discovery, they were stripped of their medals.
The gold medal was reallocated to Valentin as the rightful winner - one of 28 reallocations that took place as part of a program started by the IOC to crack down on cheating.
No Medals for Marion - Sydney, 2000
Marion Jones was at the top of her game in the early 2000s, having won multiple medals in track and field at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney. Throughout much of her career, Jones was suspected to have used illegal PEDs, though she repeatedly denied any such use and even went as far as to blame the breakup of her first marriage on her ex-husband's use of illegal steroids.
Later investigations revealed that Jones had used illicit drugs and that she had lied under oath to federal agents about it. She spent six months in jail and was stripped of her Olympic medals.
George the Traitor - Mexico City, 1968
Just a few days after Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave their controversial solute while on the podium at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, George Foreman used his win as an opportunity to showcase his national pride by holding up an American flag. The problem was, many perceived his patriotism as a political statement - one that contradicted Smith and Carlos' black-gloved solute in support of human rights.
As George Foreman is black, his choice to wave the flag led many to think that he was contradicting Smith and Carlos intentionally and therefore a "traitor to his race."
When One Person Cheats, Everyone Loses - Beijing, 2008
Usain Bolt holds a number of world records and is widely considered to be one of the greatest sprinters of all time, and fans can sleep well at night knowing that all of Bolt's accomplishments were earned honestly. The downside is that there have still been times when he's had to pay the price for his teammates cheating. Retroactive testing revealed that his teammate Nesta Carter had taken illegal PEDs during the 2008 Olympics.
The whole Jamaican team was stripped of the gold medals they'd won in the 4x100 meter event. Bolt was also the only of the 6 fastest 100-meter runners not found to have used PEDs.
Holyfield Gets Disqualified - LA, 1984
Everyone expected American boxer, Evander Holyfield, to take home the gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, so it was a great shock to many when Holyfield was disqualified from his match with New Zealander Kevin Barry. It was clear to the audience that he'd fought a better fight, though both boxers were given warnings for fouls during particularly intense moments. With less than 10 seconds left, the referee called for a break.
Holyfield continued fighting and knocked Barry out. He may not have the ref or purposely chose to ignore him, but regardless, Holyfield was disqualified for hitting after the break was called.
Ross Rebagliati Weed Controversy - Nagano, 1998
It seems odd now, but snowboarding has only been part of the Olympics since 1998. Many had reservations about its introduction to the games, and concerns were amplified after Canadian Ross Rebagliati, winner of the first men's giant slalom event tested positive for THC. After failing the drug test he was arrested and disqualified, but then un-disqualified and re-awarded his gold medal on the grounds that cannabis wasn't on the list of banned substances.
Despite his positive test, Rebagliati actually claimed, and to this day maintains, that he had not smoked and the test results were due to having been exposed to secondhand smoke at a party.
Attacked by a Bystander - Athens, 2004
He may not have won gold, but runner Vanderlei de Lima is still a champion in our eyes. During the men's marathon event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, de Lima was in first place and on the way to the finish line when a bystander in the crowd ran onto the track and grabbed him, dragging him off to the side. Luckily, another bystander swooped in and helped.
He managed to get the intruder off of de Lima, who went on to finish the race in third place and at the 2016 Games, was given the opportunity to light the Olympic flame.
Secret Service Breach - Vancouver, 2010
Back when he was just the Vice President, Joe Biden made headlines with an appearance at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. Unfortunately, things took a scary turn when a man used fake credentials to get a little too close for comfort to the VP. The authorities apprehended him 12 rows away from Biden, and though he did briefly escape to a hallway he was re-apprehended within a short time.
Olivier Lapointe, a spokesman for the security of the games, said later regarding the situation that at no point did anyone present believe the Vice President was in any danger.
A Stupid Suspension - Tokyo, 2021
The irony of suspending athletes who test positive for marijuana is that it's probably the drug least likely to have any positive impact on their performance. Sha'Carri Richardson had been training hard to compete in the women's 100-meter race in Tokyo, but her hopes were dashed after she was suspended for failing a drug test. To add insult to injury, her decision to smoke came after learning her biological mother had died.
It's probably time that rules prohibiting the use of marijuana by athletes were changed. It's not as if it'll help make them stronger or faster - even President Biden has expressed his support for the matter.