Scandals and Disqualifications at the Olympic Games
The Olympic Games represent not only the most important competition for athletes but also an arena where the interests of various countries and alliances collide. Although it is usually said that sport is not political, one only has to look behind the scenes of the Olympics to see how some coaches and sports executives sometimes have such hatred for their rivals that they are ready to resort to any kind of trickery and machinations in order to beat their main competitors.
For example, today australia online casino uses dozens of ways to check the slot machines and the results of sporting events. Even in the case of the disqualification of an athlete, the client of the gambling club wins, gets his money back, or receives a free bonus. However, in sports, it is difficult to foresee such risks.
Athletes are usually hostage to circumstances and have to follow the instructions of their coaches. Today, however, I'm going to tell you about ten athletes from different countries who openly resorted to cheating at the Olympic Games and are remembered by the public in a bad way.
Swimmer Cameron Van Der Burgh
South African swimmer Cameron van der Burgh surprised spectators at the 2012 London Olympics by setting a world record in the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 58.46 seconds. This outstanding achievement earned him a gold medal, and at the time, no one suspected the athlete of using banned techniques. However, Cameron himself later admitted that he had performed three butterfly strokes while underwater during the race. Only one ‘emergency’ stroke is allowed in breaststroke at this level of competition.
It is unclear whether Cameron's statement was motivated by a guilty conscience or a lack of intent. Nevertheless, his words caused a considerable public outcry, and the Olympic Committee spent considerable time considering whether the gold medal should go to der Burg. In the end, the controversy was resolved quite positively, with the South African retaining the medal, but the judging panels were instructed to be more vigilant about such rule violations in the future.
Badminton and Match-fixing
The 2012 Olympic Games saw a major scandal in the world of badminton. Experts from the World Federation uncovered a whole scheme of match-fixing, in which some teams agreed on the results in advance in order to meet more favorable opponents in the next round. As a result, eight athletes from Indonesia, South Korea, and China were disqualified. A sports court later imposed a two-year ban on these players from participating in international tournaments.
Track and Field Athlete Marion Jones
As a result of this scandal, the American track and field athlete, who won 2 bronze and 3 gold medals in the long jump and sprint at the Sydney Olympics, was not only stripped of all her medals, but was also sentenced to 6 months in prison for perjury.
The scandal began with suspicions that the human body was incapable of such an outstanding performance at the same time as winning five Olympic medals. Soon, there was talk of possible doping. However, at that time, Jones categorically denied the use of banned substances in her training and passed all the necessary tests, which showed negative results.
A new stage of this story unfolded in 2007, when Marion herself openly admitted to the use of banned substances during the 2000 Olympic Games. This scandal was very high-profile, which in turn led to the expected consequences and a significant tightening of anti-doping controls.
Madeleine De Jesus and the Switch with Her Sister
A unique incident occurred at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Puerto Rican track and field athlete Madeleine had badly injured her tendons after failing in the long jump and began to worry about her ability to compete in the relay. Luckily, her twin sister Margaret, also a track and field athlete, was a spectator at the Olympics and had a similar performance to Madeleine's.
The sisters devised a cunning plan, and Margaret entered the relay under the guise of a ‘cheerleader’. She covered the distance with such conviction that the Puerto Rican team won. However, the head coach of the Puerto Rican team learned of the switch and was so outraged by the cheating that he suspended the track and field athletes from further competition and publicly reported the incident.