Olympic Games Controversies: From State-Sponsored Doping To Official Gaffes

The Olympic Games, after its inception in 1896, has had to witness the beautiful, the ugly, and the not-so-pretty events throughout the years. (More Sports News)

With the clock going tick-tock at the rate of knots with the Paris Olympic Games 2024 on the horizon, let us have a look at some of the controversial moments in the history of the sporting extravaganza. 

Doping

Doping is a major global issue that takes the road international sporting events take. The International Sports Federation, led by the International Olympic Committee, has taken several measures in the last five decades or so to stop the spread of a dangerous disease named doping. 

With educational programs and encouraging medical treatments, it was expected to eventually go down, however, that has not been the case - and new, powerful techniques have occurred. 

The first major doping case at the Beijing Olympics in 2022, involved one of the biggest names, and the country involved? Russia. 

The Russian athletes were competing as ROC, the short form for the Russian Olympic Committee at the Beijing Olympics because the county was banned for operating a state-sponsored doping scheme at the 2014 Sochi Games. 

Dark Hours

The events that occurred in 1972 to this day remains Olympics’ darkest hour, with 11 athletes and coaches from the Isreal’s Olympic delegation were murdered by the Black September in a siege.

It lasted almost a day, and also included a rescue attempt, resulting in deaths of five terrorists and a West German officer. However, it could be very ill-suited to call it a scandal. 

Don’ts

Even the Olympics, celebrated all over the globe like no other sporting event, has had its fair share share of embarrassing gaffes.

For example, during the 1998 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, a group of ceremonial doves were released to the nearby cauldron, and momentous after the flame was set off, the planet watched in disbelief that some of the birds were burned alive.

Yet another major mess occurred when the North Korea women’s soccer team was introduced with the South Korea flag just before the game against Colombia during the 2012 London Olympics. The team walked off in protest for over an hour before the organisers had to formally apologise for the error.