While the world remains riveted by #Lochtegate, Ryan Lochte‘s fabricated story about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro, it is not the only scandal that has rocked the Olympic Games through the years.
Here are 5 Olympic scandals that occurred on and off the field:
Ben Johnson
Source: ROMEO GACAD / Getty
Ben Johnson shocked the world with his record-breaking time of 9.79 seconds in the men’s 100-meter dash at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He won the gold medal, but days after the race, Johnson was stripped of his medal and record amid allegations of drug use.
Roy Jones Jr.
Source: Russell Cheyne / Getty
People have long claimed that boxing matches are rigged. But that’s exactly what happened to Roy Jones Jr. during the 1988 Seoul Olympics. During the light heavyweight gold medal match, Jones landed 86 punches against South Korea’s fighter Park Si-Hun. While Si-Hun landed only 32 punches, judges ruled in his favor. It was later determined that three of the judges had been bribed by South Korean officials to rule in favor of Si-Hun.
Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding
Source: Boston Globe / Getty
Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by a hitman hired by the ex-husband of skating rival Tonya Harding in January 1994. “Despite her knee injury, Kerrigan went on to win the silver medal at the 1994 Games.”
Lance Armstrong
Source: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / Getty
After Lance Armstrong was discredited by a doping scandal, the International Olympic Committee took away a bronze medal he won at the 2000 Sydney Games. In a 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey, he admitted that he indeed had cheated during most of his famed cycling career.
Marion Jones
Source: David Madison / Getty
Marion Jones, once the world’s biggest track and field star, was stripped of three gold and two bronze medals won at the 2000 Sydney Games after admitting to abusing steroids. The former track and field star also was sentenced to six months in prison after being linked to a check-counterfeiting operation.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
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5 Olympics Scandals That Rocked The World was originally published on newsone.com
