Olympic Scandals and Controversies

Ben Johnson, a Canadian sprinter, was stripped of his gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the 1988 Seoul Olympics after testing positive for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid.

South Africa was banned from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics due to its apartheid policies, which resulted in racial segregation and discrimination.

The Pairs Skating Scandal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics involved a judging controversy in the pairs skating competition, resulting in the disqualification of a Russian pair and the awarding of gold medals to a Canadian pair.

Manfred Ewald, an East German swimming coach, was accused of administering performance-enhancing drugs to his athletes, leading to a doping scandal in the 1970s and 1980s.

Larry Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics doctor, was accused of sexual abuse by multiple athletes, leading to a major scandal and his eventual conviction and imprisonment.

The Russian Doping Scandal involved the manipulation of urine samples and the cover-up of positive doping tests by Russian athletes at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Yelena Isinbayeva, a Russian pole vaulter, was caught using a banned substance during the 2016 Rio Olympics, leading to her disqualification.

The Sydney Bribery Scandal involved the bribing of judges by certain countries to favor their athletes in various sports at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Sha'Carri Richardson, an American sprinter, was caught using a banned substance during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, leading to her disqualification.

The Rio Judging Scandal involved the manipulation of judging scores in rhythmic gymnastics at the 2016 Rio Olympics, leading to protests and accusations of unfairness.