7 Olympic Scandals We’d Like to Forget

Every Olympics has its scandals, no doubt including all Olympic Games to come. When so much is at stake, the competition is so fierce, and so many fallible humans are involved, scandal and controversy are inevitable. The current Summer Games in London are no exception—between the U.S. rower looking a little too “aroused” on the medal podium, the judo fighter being expelled for eating pot brownies, and cries of injustice after American gymnast Jordyn Wieber didn’t make the finals, there’s been plenty of controversy these past couple of weeks.

Some Olympic scandals are more memorable—and, frankly, juicier—than others.
Here are 7 of the most infamous:

The Polish Obscene Gesture Scandal

At the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow (boycotted by the U.S. because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan), Polish pole-vaulter and gold medalist Władysław Kozakiewicz created a huge scandal that nearly cost him his medal by making an obscene gesture to Soviet Olympic officials. The reason? They were cheating by opening the doors to the stadium, which created enough wind to affect Kozakiewicz’s vault attempts.

The Kerrigan/Harding Leg Bashing Scandal

If you are an adult American, surely you remember the Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding figure skating scandal just prior to the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Harding took the figure skating competition to an extreme by plotting with her ex-husband and bodyguard to take Kerrigan out of the running—by having her clubbed above her knee with a police baton. It didn’t work out well for Harding, though. Kerrigan ended up winning the silver and Harding was banned for life from competing or coaching in a USFSA-sanctioned event.

The Marion Jones Doping Scandal

U.S. sprinter Marion Jones had a very successful 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia, winning 5 gold medals—that is, until it later came out that she had used performance-enhancing drugs. She was subsequently stripped of all five medals, and then went to jail for 6 months for lying during the BALCO investigation. She has since gone bankrupt.

The Salt Lake City Bribery Scandal

The 2002 Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City, Utah, but the location was not without scandal. It seems that, prior to winning the bid in 1995, the SLC bid committee bribed IOC members with such goodies as Super Bowl Tickets, lavish vacations, and college scholarships. They were busted in 1998 and several IOC officials were expelled. The bid committee members were later acquitted by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Cuban Taekwondo Attack Scandal

Cuban taekwondo competitor Angel Matos was competing for the bronze in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, when he injured his foot. The rules allow a one-minute break for injury, but Matos did not return to the ring when the time was up, so the referee disqualified him. Matos responded by kicking the referee in the face, pushing a judge, and then spitting on the floor before security officers removed him. Matos and his coach were both banned from WTF-sanctioned events for life and all records of Matos’ competitions at the 2008 Games were erased.

The Asian Doubles Badminton Scandal

This scandal at the current 2012 Summer Olympics rocked the badminton world when it became glaringly obvious that the Chinese and South Korean doubles badminton teams were throwing their games to avoid certain matchups down the road. The Indonesian team decided to play the same (bad) game, and eventually all thee doubles teams were sent home in shame. The cheating was so bad that both crowd and commentators were vocally incensed.

The Unauthorized Marital Sex Scandal

St. Kitts sprinter Kim Collins was kicked off his team for spending the night with his wife at her hotel the night before he was supposed to compete in the 100-meter race. Apparently, sleeping around with other athletes in the Olympic Village is tolerated as long as you return to your own bed by morning, but enjoying some “marital therapy” the night before a race is frowned upon. Collins is, understandably, bitter at the outcome.