These rings haven’t always been connected by ethics during the Olympic Games.
When the world’s best athletes convene every four years to celebrate the majesty and pageantry that is the Olympic Games, organizers hope that the world focuses on the spotlight of sport, not the shadow of scandal.
Unfortunately, despite the best intentions of Olympics’ officials and organizers, breaches in sports ethics ranging from players cheating to insider gambling manage to worm their way into seemingly every Olympiad. This causes scandal and misconduct to grab more of the limelight than it should.
Take a look at some of the most famous and unfortunate ethical missteps from past Olympic Games both Winter and Summer through the years.
4 Famous Ethics Violations in Past Olympic Games
1988 Summer Olympics – Seoul, South Korea – Men’s 100 Meters
Already the premier glamor event of the track and field competition, the 100 meter final at the 1988 games dialed up the intrigue even more with defending Olympic champion Carl Lewis lining up against emerging world record holder, Ben Johnson.
Johnson blazed out of the blocks and zoomed to the finish line first, setting a new world record time of 9.79, only to see his gold medal and world record stripped from him day later after a positive test for stanozolol, a banned substance. This incident grabbed headlines at the games and spurred much dialogue and action in the modern effort to thwart steroid use among athletes.
2002 Winter Olympics – Salt Lake City, Utah – Figure Skating
Canada’s figure skating duo of Jamie Sale and David Pelletier put on a dazzling display in the free skate program, only to have Russia’s Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze skate away with the gold medal, despite an inferior performance.
Immediately the judges came under scrutiny for questionable marks, especially French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne. She admitted to falling prey to undue pressure from the head of the French delegation to give higher marks to the Russian skaters, regardless of how well anyone skated. Eventually, to correct this flagrant breach of sports ethics, the International Olympic Committee decided to award a gold medal to the Canadian skaters in addition to the gold medal that the Russian skaters were allowed to keep.
2008 Summer Olympics – Beijing, China – Sailing
In 2008 Irish sailor Peter O’Leary placed a bet on two of his chief competitors, British sailors Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson, to win the gold medal in a sailing event, despite the fact that he was also vying for the gold.
O’Leary won $4,700 when the British pair ended up winning the gold, but faced no disciplinary action from the International Olympic Committe because no definite indication of deliberate losing could be found.
2012 Summer Olympics – London, England – Badminton
In one of the more interesting cases of ethics, eight different women’s badminton players were expelled from the Olympic Games amid accusations of attempting to throw their matches during the 2012 Olympics.
The different players in question, including Chinese superstars Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang, all gave less than their best efforts in an attempt to better their positions in the medal round and face more favorable opponents. The International Olympic Committee, charging that giving less than their best violated the spirit of the Olympic Games, immediately dismissed players from China, Indonesia and South Korea for their involvement.
Preventative Measures
Because of the prevalence of these types of scandals, the Olympic authorities needed to take action. In the effort to promote ethical behavior on the part of athletes, coaches and games organizers, the International Olympic Committee founded The Ethics Commission in 1999. This 9-member panel is tasked with promoting ethical practices in all Olympic matters.
According to The Olympic Movement’s website, the Commission’s mission is three-pronged:
- Define the ethical principles that govern the Olympic Movement
- Investigate any possible breaches in ethical conduct
- Prevent unethical practices by giving counsel and advice to the International Olympic Committee.
A primary focus of the Ethics Commission is regarding betting. Realizing the destructive nature of betting that violates the integrity of a sport, the commission has outlawed betting in any capacity by Olympics athletes, whether the wagering is on an athlete’s particular sport or not.
In addition, the Ethics Commission forbids the offering of any kind of insider information, a practice that often nefariously pairs with the world of professional wagering. To keep the Olympic Games as a celebrated sporting event free from breaches of ethics, the commission strives to educate athletes as well as strictly monitor the flow of information regarding the games that happens between athletes, coaches and organizers.
An Uphill Battle At These Olympic Games
While the efforts of the Ethics Commission to thwart injustice and promote fair play are inspiring, the nature of competitive sport and the the human condition ensures that future Olympic Games will still struggle with questions of ethics. The will to win often causes athletes and coaches to pursue any possible means of victory, no matter the path to the medal stand.
In this world of ethical land mines, one thing is sure: Olympic authorities will need to continue to be vigilant in Russia and beyond to fight to keep the Olympic Games what they were originally intended to be: a celebration of the human spirit that yearns to go “faster, higher and stronger.”
경기도 핫 플레이스 수원가라오케로 놀러 오세요~
무슨 설명이 필요 할까요? 강남호빠면 설명 끝이죠
삼다수처럼 깨끗한 물관리 제주도룸에서 확인 해보세요
굳이 강남? 강북의 자존심 수유호빠가 있습니다
강남 못지 않은 경기도의 자존심 인천호빠가 증명 해보이겠습니다
강남 프라이빗 클럽 강남미션에서 비즈니스를 시작 해보세요
도봉구 노래방 No.1 창동노래방으로 놀러 오세요
놀이를 예술로 승화!! 홍대호빠가 제대로 보여드립니다
의정부로 놀러 오셨으면 의정부호빠는 필수 코스!!
강남 하드코어 클럽 강남더킹에서 성공적인 사업을 시작 해보세요
동대문 시장말고 장안동호빠로 놀러 오세요
경기도 신도시 핫 가이들의 집합소 일산호빠 다들 아시죠?
충북의 중심에는 청주호빠가 있습니다
대전 꿀잼 보장 대전 룸싸롱이 책임 지겠습니다
관악은 저희 신림호빠가 꽉 잡고 있습니다
놀면서 돈 벌 수 있는 방법은? 인천 룸알바가 알려드려요
1년 2억 수익 대구 룸체크가 확인 시켜드립니다
서해 놀러 오셨다면 안산호빠로 한 번 방문 해주세요
해운대 하면 저희 해운대 고구려 룸싸롱이죠
강남만큼 돈 벌 곳은? 바로 강북 노래방알바 여기로 오세요
시흥 장어보다 스테미너가 넘치는 시흥호빠에서 놀다 가세요
부천 판타스틱한 놀이터 부천호빠에 놀러 오세요~
제대로 돈 벌 준비 되셨나요? 그럼 강남 노래방알바로 연락 주세요
계신 곳 까지 바로 픽업!! 의정부호빠의 서비스 받아 보세요
의정부 하면 부대찌개? 아니죠~ 바로 의정부노래방입니다!!
여기만큼 돈 벌기 쉬운 곳 없습니다 대전 노래방알바로 바로 문의 주세요
울산의 정통 놀이터 울산호빠가 제대로 맛 보여 드립니다
수원 갈비보다 수원호빠가 더 맛집인 것은 비밀~
탬버린좀 치시나요? 대구북구 노래방알바와 함께 일 해보실래요?
양주 옥정 노래방에서 양주한잔 하실래요?
해운대 편안하게 놀 곳 찾으시나요? 해운대 룸빠로 연락 주세요
평탄한 일상을 깨고 파주 룸싸롱에서 제대로 전쟁 한 번 치뤄 보실래요
경남 유흥의 메카는 창원입니다. 창원호빠가 제대로 보여드립니다.
전라남도의 중심 광주에는 광주호빠가 있습니다
잘노는 선수 찾고 계시나요? 그럼 건대호빠가 정답입니다.
제대로 된 부산 남자는 부산호빠에서 확인 해보세요
부산 해운대보다 더 찐하고 재미난 곳은? 바로!! 연산호빠!! 여기로 놀러오세요
울산 여자알바 찾으시나요? 저희 울산 노래방알바에서 일 해보실래요?
대구에 여자들이 놀만한 곳을 찾는다면 대구호빠로 문의 주세요
대구 1등이 뭔지 보여드립니다. 대구 노래방알바로 목돈 한번 챙겨 보시죠.
동대문 아빠방은 장안동아빠방이 유명합니다
고소득 알바 찾으신다면 동작구 노래방알바로 연락 한 번 주세요.
여기만한 고수익 알바 없을껄요? 강남 룸알바 면접 한 번 보실래요?
천안 호두과자 보다 천안호빠가 더 맛집입니다
창원에 여자들이 놀만한 곳은 창원호빠가 제격이죠~
강북 수유 하면? 수유노래방이 정답입니다!!
출근만 하면 돈 버는 곳 울산 룸알바로 문의 주세요
인천 꿀알바는 부평 노래방알바에서 시작 해보세요
여름 태양 보다 뜨거운 해운대호빠에서 제대로 불태워 보실래요?
부산 명품 선수들은 해운대호빠에 다 모여 있습니다