In 2018, issues of sports and politics became more aggravated than anything else in recent memory, which provoked many scandals. Ukrainian athletes were prohibited, not recommended, and then allowed to travel to competitions in Russia. The past year has given rise to the thesis “sport is beyond politics.” Whether this is true or not, time will tell.
Abramenko in the arms of a Russian athlete
29-year-old Nikolaevite Alexander Abramenko won for Ukraine at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang ( South Korea) historical and only gold medal in freestyle. From this important victory They made the so-called "zrada". After the victory, the Ukrainian champion hugged the Russian Ilya Burov on the winners' podium.
The Ukrainian community was divided in its opinions. On the one hand, Abramenko glorified the Ukrainian flag. On the other hand, he hugged with a representative of a country that Ukraine calls an aggressor.
Abramenko’s gesture provoked a discussion of the topical topic “sport outside of politics.” Many athletes often cross paths at competitions and it is obvious that they have to communicate. In particular, the athletes could meet before Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. However, it is precisely for political reasons, for example, that football matches between Ukrainian and Russian clubs. So the question arises, where does politics end and sport begin?
Garage sleigh
The Olympic Games did not end with one scandal. Ukrainian luger Andrey Mandziy, who defended the honor of the “blue-yellow” flag at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, admitted that he makes his sleds in the garage at his own expense. In the first race Olympic Games ah Mandziy, unfortunately, fell off his sleigh, but managed to complete the attempt. Subsequently, he improved his results, but an incident at the start did not allow him to make it to the finals.
This is not a myth, I make sleds at home in the garage, as you can see in the photo, I started on them at the Olympic Games. From the Federation I received runners - 1200 euros, brackets - 290 euros, two pairs of elastic bands for 30 euros - 60 euros. I assembled last year's sled entirely at my own expense. There is another 20 GB of video of the sleigh creation process, if there are not enough photos,
– Mandziy wrote on social networks.
Photo: social networks
The athlete’s words were addressed to the Minister of Sports of Ukraine Igor Zhdanov and his adviser Pavel Bulgakov. The latter, in response to criticism from many journalists and commentators of the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang for the poor preparation of athletes, posted copies of documents with a list of equipment, inventory, equipment that were purchased for Ukrainian athletes only in 2017 in preparation for Pyeongchang 2018.
The total purchase amount was about 20 million UAH.
If we are talking about luge, it is very strange to hear false statements on Ukrainian TV channels that the state and the Ministry of Sports are allegedly not helping in any way. luge, and athletes allegedly have to assemble their sleds from scrap metal in garages. This is not true
– wrote Zhdanov.
Later, after seeing Mandzia’s comment, Igor Zhdanov and his adviser Pavel Bulgak promised to look into the situation and bring those responsible to justice.
Scandal named after Valentina Semerenko
Ukrainian biathlete Valentina Semerenko, who was not included in the relay four at the Olympics, blamed coaching staff in the collapse of the team. Valentina also stated that when forming the lineup for the relay race, the sports principle was not observed.
Semerenko believed that if Merkushina and Pidhrushnaya carried out control training for a place in the relay, she could also participate in it, even sacrificing the mass start race.
The athlete complained that coaches Uros Velepec and Oleg Merkushin (father of Anastasia Merkushina) were happy that Elena Pidhrushnaya and Olga Abramova, who competed at the IBU Cup, were not included in the team.
The coach didn’t even hold a meeting and didn’t tell me why he abandoned me like that. Both Varvinets and Merkushina were not included in the relay. All the races were worse than me. It’s so painful and offensive when they lie to your face. I even wrote to Uroshu: hold a meeting, explain. He was scared. Believe me, now I simply will not remain silent. It's a shame when your dream and your work are crushed
– the athlete wrote.
The Ukrainian women's biathlon team failed biathlon relay 4x6 km at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, finishing in 11th place. It is possible that it was internal conflicts and strife that affected the result. Still, Ukraine could take some awards in biathlon.
Ban on athletes traveling to competitions in Russia
In April, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine issued an order prohibiting the participation of athletes in competitions in Russia from the state budget.
Given the autonomy of sport and the Olympic Charter, I cannot physically prohibit the travel of athletes and coaches to competitions abroad. Therefore, we legally clarified this point in the order and prohibited state funding for the participation of Ukrainian national teams in competitions on the territory of the aggressor country,
– Minister Zhdanov wrote on Facebook.
At the same time, the minister argued that “this does not change the essence of the decision.” He emphasized that the ministry and he himself remain unchanged in their position - categorically against the participation of national teams in competitions in Russia.
Igor Zhdanov. Photo: Glavred
Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler, Olympic medalist Olympics in Rio, Zhan Belenyuk complained that he was forbidden to go to Russia. Belenyuk said that he spent a lot of resources on preparation, but was forbidden to go just before the competition. A month earlier, even before the decree, the Ukrainian biathlon team missed the World Cup stage in Tyumen, Russia. Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina does not go to competitions in Russia.
In turn, Ukrainian chess player Maria Muzychuk went to the World Chess Championship, which was held in Russian Khanty-Mansiysk. The Ukrainian lost to the Russian in the semifinals and was also criticized by many fans.
Ultimately, the IOC negotiated with the Ukrainian government, which banned its athletes from participating in tournaments in Russia. After negotiations between the IOC and Ukraine, it was decided to reverse the harsh decision.
Russian coach of the Ukrainian women's biathlon team
Another scandal affected the Ukrainian biathlon team. In particular, the women's team was led by Russian Andrei Prokunin. His appointment was met with criticism, saying that he became most famous for being caught for doping in 2009. Erythropoietin was found in his blood. Observers were surprised that the Ukrainian Biathlon Federation invited a Russian coach during the war with Russia.
Photo: R-Sport - RIA Novosti
However, the FBU did not change its decision. According to FBU President Vladimir Brynzak, after the unsuccessful experience of inviting a foreign specialist, it was decided to hire a coach from the post-Soviet space. Prokunin continues to work with Ukrainian women, and the wave of criticism has subsided somewhat.
Procession of the UMC MP and Lomachenko
One of best boxers peace regardless weight category Ukrainian Vasily Lomachenko on his page on social networks called for joining the Procession of the Cross of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP).
“The largest religious procession in Ukraine to mark the 1030th anniversary of the baptism of Rus' will take place on Friday, July 27 in Kyiv. Together with Metropolitan Onuphry, tens of thousands of believers will prayerfully march from the monument to Prince Vladimir to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Starts at 13.00. Don’t miss it!” The Facebook post was posted by Lomachenko.
Ukrainian jumper in annexed Crimea
Ukrainian diver, bronze medalist of the 2008 Olympic Games Alexey Prigorov took part in the competition extreme species sports in occupied Crimea. The tournament took place on August 18 in the village of Simeiz near Yalta. Competitors jumped into the open sea from a springboard installed at a height of 27 meters.
Alexey Prigorov. Photo: Getty images
Despite the sanctions, many foreigners came to participate in the tournament: there were representatives of the USA, Great Britain, France, Colombia, Mexico and even Ukraine.
As the Russian Foreign Ministry's representative office in Crimea reports on its Twitter page, Briton Gary Hunt won gold at the Cliff Diving World Cup competition, Ukrainian Alexey Prigorov won silver, and American Kyle Mitrione won bronze.
Usik – Moscow – Crimea
Ukrainian boxer Alexander Usik faced criticism in 2018, which, perhaps, you would not wish on any enemy. Absolute champion peace in the ring glorifies the Ukrainian flag with his own strength and health. And at home he is still criticized mercilessly. First of all, many in Ukraine are interested in Alexander’s position regarding the status of Crimea – whose Crimea? Russian, or Ukrainian. Some journalists even provoked Usyk by asking sharp questions. However, the boxer found an answer. There is nothing to say about Alexander’s patriotism. Everything is proven in the ring.
On June 23, the world celebrates International Olympic Day, established in honor of the creation of the Olympic Committee in Paris by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1894. Then, against the background of excavations by German archaeologists at Olympia and increased interest in Ancient Greece, a French aristocrat was inspired by the ambitious idea of reviving the Olympic Games. Although the Frenchman wanted to promote sports through these games and considered professionalism to be the main enemy of the movement, over time they turned into business and part of politics, and only professionals have long competed at the Olympic Games. And where big money and politics appear, loud scandals immediately appear.
Recent scandals with Russian athletes, whose participation in the Olympic Games is in question, as well as the possible suspension of weightlifters in in full force, were far from the first in the 120-year history of the Olympic movement. Life recalled the most scandalous situations that have ever arisen around the Olympic Games.
Pigeon slaughter
For some reason, the organizers of the second Olympics, held in Paris, decided to add pigeon shooting to the program. This type sport was included in the official competition program and remained there until 1908, when the Olympic Committee finally considered this competition to be excessively cruel to both pigeons and spectators: by the end of the competition the field was usually littered with feathers, bird corpses and covered in blood. Shooting at live targets was permanently excluded from the Olympic program.
Most scandalous marathon in history
The 1904 Olympics was supposed to be held in Chicago, but at the insistence of the American president it was moved to St. Louis, and the IOC was forced to meet the wishes of the American leadership. The most scandalous discipline was the marathon. The route ran along a dusty dirt road in extreme heat, which is why more than half of the race participants were unable to finish. The route ran through private property, so some athletes became victims of dogs. Thus, one of the marathon participants was forced to leave the route, hiding in a corn field from a pack of dogs that attacked him.
dishonest" winner, because he resorted to doping twice: a few kilometers before the finish, he fell from powerlessness and the coach injected him with strychnine sulfate, after which the athlete ran a few more kilometers and fell again, and the coach again injected him with strychnine.
Anthropological days
For the World's Fair, which was held in St. Louis simultaneously with the Olympic Games, something like an ethnic village was organized in the city. For this purpose, representatives of semi-primitive African tribes, Eskimos, Filipinos, Indians from South and Central America etc. peoples from today's Third World countries. All of them were dressed in national costumes and were supposed to portray savages in their natural habitat.
However, against the backdrop of the Olympics, the organizers came up with the idea of holding additional “savage” games, which would be called Anthropological. The competition, as conceived by the organizers, had a pronounced racist connotation, since their results were planned to be compared with the results of white participants in the Olympics and thereby confirm their racial superiority (the ideas of racism were incredibly popular then).
athletes" showed extremely low results, which was noted with satisfaction by the organizers, who received additional arguments in favor of their theories. Instead of an award, the "winners" were awarded an American flag.
After the IOC found out about this, there was loud scandal. Pierre de Coubertin was furious at such an ugly act by the American organizers, since, in his opinion, the Games were designed to unite peoples and countries, and not create additional obstacles between them, and over time, a clause was added to the Olympic Charter strictly prohibiting the demonstration of ethnocultural differences during the Olympic Games.
Women have no place here
bad behavior." As punishment, the victorious countries secured a ban on the participation of Germany and the allies in these games, although this was contrary to the ideals of the Olympic movement. The Germans were not allowed into the next games in 1924.
Berlin 1936. Photo:
one of the best creative spirits of the era." After the war, the International Olympic Committee had to officially apologize for its actions in the 30s. Coubertin had already died by that time. Man in disguise Against the backdrop of the scandal surrounding the Olympic Games in Nazi Germany, the participation of an actual man disguised as a woman in the Berlin competitions remained in the shadows. Dora Rathjen showed great promise in the high jump, being the German champion in this discipline. However, at the home Olympics in Berlin, she did not perform very well, finishing only in fourth place. However, two years later she redeemed herself at the European Championships, winning a gold medal and setting a new world record. But the competitors had long had suspicions about Rathjen, who never undressed in front of them, did not take a shower, spoke in a very strange voice for a woman, and generally avoided them. They obtained certification of the athlete’s gender and the terrible truth was revealed: Dora Rathjen is a man. After the scandal, Dora said that she could finally live in peace and be who she is, after which she officially changed her name to Heinrich Rathjen. It turned out that at birth, doctors could not immediately determine the sex of the child and the parents decided to raise him as a girl. At the same time, Rathjen himself later recalled that from childhood he considered himself exclusively a boy and did not understand why he was forced to wear women’s clothing, but did not argue with his parents out of respect for them. Historians are still arguing whether Nazi functionaries planned to take advantage of Dora/Henry's clear gender advantage at the Olympics or whether they themselves knew nothing. Blood in the pool A match between the USSR and Hungarian water polo teams, which took place at the 1956 Olympics, shortly after the attempted anti-Soviet uprising in Hungary, suppressed by Soviet troops. Even before the game it was clear that there would be a conflict; the Hungarians were full of determination and very aggressive. The match itself took place with incessant skirmishes, provocations and gross fouls and naturally ended in a fight, riots and a technical defeat for the Soviet team (however, it still lost). After the Olympics, almost all Hungarian athletes received political asylum in Western countries. carefree games" so that the image of a democratic Germany would favorably set off the totalitarian Nazi past of Germany. Because of this, they approached security issues very irresponsibly; in fact, any stranger could enter the Olympic village. A group of Palestinian terrorists entered the premises where Israeli athletes lived, and took 11 people hostage, putting forward a demand for the release of a number of Arab prisoners in Israel. Two people died during an attempt to take hostages, and another nine were killed during a failed German special operation to free them. " src="https://static..jpg" alt="" data-extra-description=" Montreal 1976. Photo: It is worth noting that, at the same time, Onishchenko was considered absolutely best fencer in Soviet team in pentathlon, and it’s hard to even imagine why he needed to resort to such cheating if he defeated most of his opponents in a fair fight. The story ended with a huge scandal and the disqualification of the Soviet pentathlon team. Onishchenko was disqualified for life, and later in the USSR he was stripped of all awards and titles and expelled from the party. The most outrageous incident occurred at the Sydney Paralympics in 2000, when Spanish basketball players pretended to be mentally retarded. The Spaniards defeated all their rivals with a huge advantage, and beat Russia in the final. A few weeks after the competition, one of the team members admitted that, with the exception of two people, all the other Spanish basketball players were absolutely healthy and portrayed mentally retarded people on instructions from the Spanish federation. A terrible uproar arose, the Spaniards were deprived of medals, and the result was the complete cancellation of all competitions involving persons with intellectual disabilities. At the 2012 Paralympics, these competitions were partially returned, but basketball remains banned. Political boycotts Political boycotts accompanied most of the Olympic Games, but in most cases it was only about isolated manifestations. A real parade of boycotts began in 1976, when all African countries demonstratively skipped the games in Montreal in protest against the rugby match between New Zealand and South Africa, which was then excommunicated from the Olympic Games for the apartheid regime. Although rugby is not Olympic form It was difficult for sports and the IOC to make claims, African countries decided to take the opportunity and demand the exclusion of New Zealanders from the IOC, which the committee did not agree to. " src="https://static..jpg" alt="" data-extra-description=" Each Olympics is certainly accompanied by a mass of judicial scandals, especially in those sports disciplines where the judicial assessment plays a very important role. As a rule, all athletes can do is come to terms with the judge’s decision, but there have been cases when athletes tried to restore justice using their own methods. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Cuban taekwondo athlete Angel Volodia Matos (2000 Olympic champion) was disqualified at the end of the match for third place by the referee, who considered that he was delaying the medical pause. By this point, the Cuban was leading the score and at first tried to convince the referee with a kind word, but when he did not heed his requests, he decided to convince him with a kick to the head, after which he spat on the carpet and was taken out of the hall. All this happened in front of thousands of spectators and many video cameras. Footage of Matos punching the judge “from a turntable into cabbage soup” went around the whole world. As a result, the Cuban athlete was disqualified for life, despite the intercession of Fidel Castro. The judge escaped with a broken lip. Accusing our athletes and coaches of violating anti-doping rules is an attack on Russian biathlon. Vice-President of the Russian Biathlon Union (RUB) Sergei Chepikov told Izvestia about this. The provocation may prevent the restoration of the RBU's rights; this issue will be considered on December 15 at a meeting of the IBU Executive Committee. Russian biathletes deny their involvement in the doping scandal and are ready to assist Austrian law enforcement agencies who are conducting the investigation. Experts do not rule out that the case may have political overtones and call on the leadership of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to intervene in the situation. Medal in spite of Despite the actions of the Austrian police, the Russian team will continue to compete at international tournaments. At the second stage of the World Cup in Hochfilzen, our team has already won its first medal: Ekaterina Yurlova-Percht received bronze in the sprint. This is the first podium for Russian biathletes in the last two years: the previous time - on December 17, 2016 - Tatyana Akimova finished in the prizes. Katya is a great fellow,” Sergei Chepikov, vice-president of the RBU, told Izvestia. “She showed character and was able to win a medal. Irina Starykh also deserves praise, she ran an excellent race (ninth place). Our girls showed that they cannot be broken. According to Sergei Chepikov, “everyone in the SBR is sure that the charges of the Austrian prosecutor’s office are far-fetched.” He recalled that this Saturday, December 15, a meeting of the IBU Executive Committee will be held, at which they will consider the issue of restoring the rights of the Russian Biathlon Union. Most likely, this attack is aimed at our biathlon in anticipation of the IBU Executive Committee. It is clear that our chances of fully returning to the biathlon family are greatly reduced,” noted the RBU vice-president. On Wednesday evening, Austrian police showed up at the Russian national team and presented a list of ten athletes and coaches whom they intend to interrogate in connection with an anti-doping rule violation at the World Championships in Hochfilzen in February 2017. Doping is a criminal offense in Austria, with a maximum penalty of three years in prison. That's why law enforcement is involved. Rodchenkov's trace According to media reports, Austrian police began an investigation into the Russians after a tip from Jim Walden, the lawyer for WADA whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov. Among the suspects are Olympic champion Anton Shipulin, one of the best snipers in world biathlon Alexey Volkov, Irina Starykh and Alexander Loginov, who served their disqualification, and Sochi 2014 bronze medalist Evgeny Garanichev. Also on the list are former head coach of the national team Alexander Kasperovich, doctors and massage therapists of the national team Evgeny Shutov, Artem Kryntsilov, Alexander Selyavkin and Dmitry Topychkanov. Over the past period, neither the organizers of the 2017 World Championship in Hochfilzen nor the relevant anti-doping services have made any claims against the Russians, Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov told Izvestia. All this time, our athletes flawlessly passed the necessary doping control procedures. Now the Biathlon Union, the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other interested organizations are clarifying the circumstances of the case,” he said. Alexander Kasperovich said that he was ready to fly to Hochfilzen. The charges relate only to the 2017 World Cup. Last December, already in the new season, the Austrian Hochfilzen hosted the World Cup stage - Shipulin, Loginov, and Garanichev were there. And the Austrian police did not have any questions for the Russian team. Russian biathletes passed doping tests without problems. The International Biathlon Union (IBU) confirmed the start of a doping investigation against the Russian national team. It is handled by the Central Prosecutor's Office for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption of Austria. The coach of the Russian national biathlon team, Anatoly Khovantsev, did not rule out that the national team could be temporarily suspended from competitions. Political attack According to Olympic champion and State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova, there is a visible political motive in this case. It is important to understand that the initiator of this scandal, whoever he was, chose the “right” country, Svetlana Zhurova told Izvestia. - Austrian legislation allows athletes to be summoned for questioning, regardless of what WADA representatives think about this. This is a very tricky approach. Our athletes are hinted that it is better for them not to travel to those countries where there are strict penalties for doping - “otherwise we will call you in for questioning at night, we will spoil your nerves just before the start.” This is not a fair game for our athletes. Svetlana Zhurova believes that WADA representatives should intervene in the situation. Of course, WADA should be indignant at the actions of the Austrian police, the Olympic champion is sure. - After all, this is a blow not only to our athletes, but also to generally accepted anti-doping rules. Firstly, police or representatives of the prosecutor’s office may interpret them incorrectly; this requires specialized specialists. Secondly, all interrogations must take place by subpoena during the out-of-competition period, and not during the World Cup or other international competitions. The team leader, 2017 World Cup winner Alexander Loginov spoke about the first details of the case. According to him, the accusations, which the athlete categorically denied, are related to possible fraud with blood transfusions. Following Loginov, Anton Shipulin also wrote a post on social networks. The most decorated Russian biathlete of the last decade called what was happening a “witch hunt” and said that this situation undermines his confidence not only in the anti-doping system, but also in biathlon as a whole. If our athletes are really accused of fraud with blood transfusions, then this is simply ridiculous,” three-time world champion in biathlon, silver medalist of the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Pavel Rostovtsev, told Izvestia. - With the introduction of [biological] blood passports for athletes, such manipulations are easily caught, they have become impossible. In this situation, Austrian law enforcement agencies must present irrefutable evidence, believes two-time Olympic hockey champion and State Duma deputy Vyacheslav Fetisov. “Everyone is tired of doping scandals, we need to somehow end this topic,” he told Izvestia. - The new head of our sport, Pavel Kolobkov, I hope he understands how to do this. We will fight, because if the Austrian police do not have irrefutable evidence, then this is slander. We will defend ourselves. At the 2017 World Championships in Hochfilzen, the Russian team won two medals. In addition to bronze in the mixed relay, our team won gold in the men's relay. That victory was the most striking event for Russian biathlon over the past few years. Subscribe to our channel “Izvestia SPORT” in The Olympic Games become such an important event that the eyes of millions and even billions of spectators are riveted to it. That is why victory is valued so highly there. Athletes are ready to do anything for the coveted medal. Others are trying to prove themselves at the Olympics, but not in the sporting sense. After all, this is a great place for all kinds of political actions. Is it any wonder that the largest sports forum is constantly rocked by various scandals? Fake champion. Today, Michael Phelps is considered the most decorated Olympian. The peak of his fame came in 2008; in Beijing, the famous swimmer won 7 gold medals at once. Her meticulous fans discovered that there was room for scandal here. In one of the winning swims, Phelps still lost to his opponent by some hundredths of a second. There was even a whole website created that sought to convey the truth to people and expose the deception on the part of the Americans. It is alleged that the powerful country simply paid the judges for the victory of its athlete. The Olympic Committee fights off all attacks, claiming that there can be no doubt about Phelps' victory. Young gymnasts. Chinese gymnast Dong Fangxiao won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics. But after 10 years the award was taken away. It turned out that at the time of the performance the Chinese woman was only 14 years old. But according to the rules then, teenagers under 16 were not allowed to participate in competitions. It must be said that this is not the only case where Chinese gymnasts were of dubious age. At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, athletes He Kexin and Yang Yuyang turned out to be too young in appearance. However, the Chinese side was able to submit documents according to which the gymnasts were 16 years old. Unusual logos. When the emblem of the 2012 Summer Olympics was just presented to the general public, a scandal erupted. Iran said the logo has a secret meaning. It turns out that the figures that represent the number 2012 can be added differently. The puzzle collects the word "Zion", which means "Zion". Iran saw this as a Jewish conspiracy. The country even threatened to boycott the upcoming games. Conspiracy lovers were especially outraged by the dot that stood above the unit. In the number “2012” it is absolutely not needed, but for the Latin “i” it is simply necessary. It must be said that this logo caused outrage not only in Iran. It turned out that the development of a stylish multi-colored emblem officially cost taxpayers 650 thousand dollars. The British themselves recognized the logo as ugly, and the waste of so much money was a waste. Moreover, Iran saw a Zionist message here. True, the boycott threats remained just words. Another scandal surrounded the animated version of the Olympics logo. It turned out that it provoked only 12 registered epileptic attacks. And this was just a few hours after the iridescent emblem appeared online. Then the Olympic Committee was forced to remove such a dangerous logo from its website. It was not the creators of such a logo, but its animators, who were blamed for the incident. Black market for tickets. The British newspaper "Sunday Times" reported that the International Olympic Committee allows organizers to set a 20% markup on tickets. This provides an opportunity for the host country to make money from the Games. However, the increased demand for tickets creates a huge black market. Officials are also trying to make money here; they often get passes for free. For example, Serbian Olympic Committee employees entered the black market with one and a half thousand tickets. The buyer was even guaranteed to have fake passports. In this case, the IOC will conduct an investigation. In May 2012, the secretary of the NOC of Ukraine was caught trying to sell about a hundred tickets from his country’s quota. Unfortunately for him, the buyers turned out to be journalists, who brought the official to light. Hot Cuban. Athletes react emotionally to victories and cry because of defeats, but no one expected such behavior. The incident with Cuban taekwondo athlete Angel Matos occurred at the 2008 Olympics. For his behavior, the athlete even received a lifelong disqualification. During his bout, Matos was injured and sought medical attention. According to the rules, the athlete is given a one-minute break for this. After the allotted time, the Cuban entered the ring. Then the judge quite expectedly gave the victory to the opponent. Matos became so angry that he pushed the referee away, then kicked him in the head, and then spat on the mat. The fact is that at the time of the stoppage, the Cuban was winning his fight with a score of 3:2. Unlike sports bodies, Fidel Castro stood up for his athlete. The Cuban leader accused officials of a real conspiracy against his athletes. Eastern European super athletes. It is no longer a secret that during the Cold War, Eastern Europe sought to develop super athletes. To achieve this, poor athletes were fed steroids and other semi-banned drugs, increasing their chances of Olympic victory. Particularly notable in this theory is the story that happened to the 1986 European champion Heidi Krieger. The woman said that a series of medical experiments on her caused attacks of depression, moodiness and painful side effects. In the 90s, Heidi realized that she was already a man at heart, eventually having sex reassignment surgery. Currently, Andreas Krieger never tires of accusing GDR sports officials of simply using him to get medals. But even now doping scandals are shaking this region. So, in June 2008, all the attention of the sports press was paid to the Bulgarian weightlifting team. It was announced that all athletes from this team would be withdrawn from competing at the Beijing Olympics. Just 11 weightlifters failed doping tests at the training camp. As a result, both men and women who used methandienone were left without elite competition. Explosion at the 1996 Olympics. Unfortunately, the Olympic Games are not as peaceful as we would like. These events are of great interest to terrorists. On July 27, 1996, an explosion occurred at the Atlanta Olympics. The homemade lethal device turned out to be the largest in history, it weighed about 20 kilograms. The terrorist attack took place in the Olympic Park, killing 2 people and injuring 111 others. The authorities developed several versions regarding the identity of the terrorist. As a result, charges were brought against American Eric Rudolph. He had previously bombed two abortion clinics and a lesbian bar. Rudolph was on the run for five years, after which he was sentenced to life without parole. The investigation made a deal with the terrorist, but the process itself turned out to be closed. All this gave rise to many conspiracy theories around the trial. The true motivation of the criminal remained unclear; perhaps there was also a political background to the case. Black September. The Olympics is designed to unite people and stop wars. But, alas, this does not always happen. During the 1972 Munich Olympics, a group of Palestinian terrorists calling themselves Black October took Israeli athletes hostage. The militants demanded the release of about 200 people from the Palestine Liberation Organization from prison. As a result, the terrorist attack led to the death of 11 members of the Israeli team, who died while trying to free the hostages. In addition to the five athletes, four more coaches and two judges were killed. A German policeman was also a victim of terrorists. In response to those events, the Prime Minister of Israel ordered the search and destruction of those 13 people who were involved in the preparation and implementation of that high-profile terrorist attack. They say that one of those sentenced in absentia is still free and alive. Fake terrorist attacks. Many conspiracy theorists have stated that the London Olympics will be marked by a series of fake terrorist attacks. They should be organized by some secret organizations, like the Illuminati or the Bilderberg Club. Some people seriously expected a series of explosions or even a simulated alien invasion. And all these events during the Olympics should have forced the authorities to declare martial law, and in the future to establish a new world order. And in this case, the emblem did not go unnoticed. Conspiracy theorists believed that the world elite intended to build a New Jerusalem in Great Britain. Judicial fraud. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, Russian figure skaters Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won gold in the short program. Left behind were the Canadian couple Jamie Sale and Davile Pellitier. However, a protest was filed; to many, the Russian victory seemed controversial. The fact is that the judges did not punish them for a small mistake. Accusations of collusion fell on the arbitrators, and as a result, gold was also given to the Canadian couple. The third prize winners, the Chinese, refused to come out to the repeat award ceremony, considering it a farce. The scandal led to a revision of the scoring system in this sport, and spectator interest in figure skating noticeably decreased due to the undercover games raging in it. Corruption scandal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Where there is big money, bribes cannot be avoided. The loudest scandal in this regard occurred in 2002. Some senior officials of the International Olympic Committee were accused of accepting bribes from Salt Lake City officials in choosing the site of the future 2002 Games. The scandal was only hushed up by the resignation of 10 IOC members from their posts. USSR-USA basketball final. In 1972, the teams of two superpowers met in the finals of the basketball tournament. It is clear that the confrontation had political overtones. With three seconds left in the game, the Americans were ahead by one point. After a timeout taken by the USSR team, the Soviet players tried to score, but failed. The Americans began to celebrate the victory, but... As it turned out, in vain. The ball ended up being put into play three times, and there was constant confusion with the stopwatch. As a result, the clock was set to 3 seconds. This was enough to make a long pass to Alexander Belov. Sirena recorded the historic victory of the Soviet team 51:50. The outraged Americans refused to accept their silver medals. Rumors spread that problems with the timing were deliberately rigged, and the USSR team won only thanks to its lobby in FIBA. Germany's refusal to participate in the 1924 Olympics. There have been many cases in history when a country, for political or simply sporting reasons, did not take part in the Olympic Games. But this situation led to something terrible - Hitler’s rise to power. In 1924, Germany was just recovering from its defeat in the First World War. The trampled German pride could be restored through victories in the sports field. However, the winning countries decided by vote not to allow the country that instigated the First World War to participate in the Olympics. This dealt a painful blow to the German patriots. Is it any wonder that just a year later, Hitler’s rise to power began on fertile soil? Perhaps Germany's participation in sports competitions would have reduced the tension in society, and Nazi ideas would not have received such support from the people. Shenanigans with the judge's light bulb. In the Soviet press, the domestic athlete was certainly presented as a model of honesty. However, unsportsmanlike behavior was also common among our Olympians. The loudest scandal occurred at the 1976 Olympics. Soviet pentathlete Boris Onishchenko was able to install a special device into the handle of his sword. The athlete discreetly pressed a button disguised as suede, and a light came on for the judges, indicating an injection. The cunning device was discovered during a fight with an Englishman. He unexpectedly deviated, Onishchenko missed, but the light still came on. A scandal broke out. The entire Soviet pentathlon team was disqualified. The USSR State Sports Committee announced a lifelong ban on Onishchenko from competing in competitions, he was deprived of all awards and titles and was even expelled from the party. This year we celebrate the 132nd anniversary of the revival of the Olympic Games. More than a century ago, in 1894, it was created in Paris Olympic Committee, who set himself the task of returning the historical tradition of holding competitions, which were considered a real cult in the period from 776 BC. to 394 AD in Ancient Greece. During the heyday of Olympia, the Greeks managed to hold 293 Olympics. Time has mercilessly erased the details of those competitions, but any sport is inseparably linked with oddities, scandals and incidents. And we decided to make a rating the most scandalous Olympics of the 19th-21st centuries. Name: Games of the II Olympiad During the Games of the Second Olympiad (this is what the competition was officially called in 1900), the organizers decided to introduce a new sport, which caused a loud response in the press. Pigeon shooting turned out to be a very troublesome event: the entire stadium, spectator stands and judges' seats were littered with feathers and bird scraps by the end of the competition. However, a very specific sport was included in the Olympic program until 1908. Then the competition was recognized as excessively cruel and the shop with live targets was closed, forever excluded from the list of Olympic competitions. Name: Games of the III Olympiad 100 years ago the Olympics bore little resemblance to the excitement of today. The technology of that time did not allow live broadcasts and the athletes were deprived of the close attention of television cameras and photographic lenses. The American decided to take advantage of this fact Frederick Lorz. The marathon race could end in real triumph for the inventive runner. At the beginning of the race, Lorz’s legs cramped. The world of sports was not without good people, and one of the fans decided to give the athlete a lift in his personal car. 8 kilometers before the finish, Frederick left the comfortable transport and easily finished first. The time gap with his closest opponent, Thomas Hicks, was triumphant, but a few minutes before the results were announced, an official observer reached the finish line and told the real story of Lorz’s triumph. The American was immediately disqualified, and the victory was awarded to Thomas Hicks. True, his “gold” can hardly be called honest. During the race, struggling with impotence, the marathon runner received doping injections twice. Name: Games of the V Olympiad The 1912 Summer Olympics was remembered not only for its precious awards (the last time the highest medals were cast in pure gold), but also for another scandal related to racial inequality. The real star of the Stockholm Olympics was Indian-American Jim Thorpe. After the athlete won two gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon, the Olympic Committee decided... to disqualify the athlete. The reason for this unexpected decision was Thorpe’s “professional qualities”. As it turned out, Jim Thorpe played baseball professionally, and according to the regulations of the 1912 Olympic Games, only amateurs could take part in the competition. By decision of the committee, the Olympic champion was deprived of medals precisely because of this, but the press immediately read a certain context for such an act - “colored” origin. Jim Thorpe's titles were rehabilitated only 60 years later. Name: Games of the IX Olympiad Today in the world of sports there are almost completely no gender restrictions: girls can easily play football, throw javelin, and shoot archery at a professional level. In the history of the Olympics, a number of restrictions were associated with the athletics program and until 1928, women were strictly prohibited from taking part in long-distance races. The Olympics in Amsterdam became the first in which representatives of the fairer sex were allowed to participate in the 800-meter race. The media and the public were categorically against it and, at the end of the race, came up with a number of reasons forcing the Olympic Committee to prohibit the admission of women to such “debilitating and unbearable self-torture that can cause irreparable damage to health.” Until 1960, women were excluded from participation in a whole chain of athletics disciplines. Name: XI Summer Olympic Games After the German national team was suspended from the 1920 and 1924 Olympics, it was only in 1936 that the Olympic Committee decided to hold the next competition in Berlin. The “unacceptable behavior of the aggressor country” in the previous post-war years became the main reason for the discontent of dozens of countries outraged by the Committee’s decision. Germany was accused of discrimination on national, racial and religious grounds, and the Games were planned to be moved to Spain. But the country’s authorities quickly got their bearings and gave a warm welcome to Pierre de Coubertin himself, an influential French sports and public figure who managed to convince the whole world that “as happily as in Germany, the Games should be organized in every country.” The miracles of the Berlin Olympics did not end there. Among the “participants” in the high jump competition, the multiple champion Dora Rathjen was especially memorable. At the 1936 Olympics, she managed to take only 4th place, and two years later it turned out that Dora was a man. Name: XX Summer Olympic Games In 1972, the democratic Federal Republic of Germany decided to emphasize its image by highlighting its vague Nazi past. As a result, almost anyone could easily enter the territory of the Olympic village in Munich. The level of security was extremely low, which was the reason for writing one of the bloodiest pages in the entire history of the Olympic Games. An armed group of Palestinian terrorists entered one of the rooms where the Israeli athletes lived in the middle of the night. Having taken 11 people hostage, the terrorists demanded the release of Arab prisoners held in Israeli territory. During the attempt to recapture the hostages, all 11 athletes were killed. The Olympic Games were suspended, but the Olympic Committee still decided to continue the competition. The next day, the Israeli team left the Olympics, and soon Algeria, the Philippines and Egypt refused to participate in the competition. Name: XXI Summer Olympic Games The fastest and most effective way to “improve results” in the world of sports is to use doping. But in the mid-60s, the Olympic Committee decided to conduct mandatory doping controls. Ill-gotten medals rained down like from a cornucopia. And the athletes had to undertake new machinations. A true inventor and “sports engineer,” Soviet pentathlete Boris Onishchenko found an original way to eliminate his opponents. Having installed a simple device on his rapier, Onishchenko independently controlled the process of closing the sword. After pressing the button, at the moment of the next attack, the judges saw the signal light light up. Boris Onishchenko confidently made his way to the top of the standings, but one misfire cost the athlete a lifelong disqualification. At the moment when Onishchenko's opponent dodged the injection, the light bulb came on. At first, everything was attributed to a technical malfunction, but after examining the Soviet athlete’s foil, everything fell into place. As a result, the entire Soviet pentathlon team was disqualified. Name: XXII Summer Olympic Games Initially, the 1976 Olympic Games were supposed to be held in Moscow. Together with Los Angeles, Moscow was among the favorites of the Olympic Committee. But in the midst of the meeting, the choice fell on Canada, and the Games in Moscow were postponed to 1980. That same year, Soviet troops entered Afghanistan, which caused a crazy wave of boycotts from more than 50 countries around the world. Despite the total refusal of the teams to take part in the Olympics, only Americans were not present at the competition. Name: XXIII Summer Olympic Games Acting on the principle of “an eye for an eye,” the USSR, together with the people’s democracies, announced a boycott of the Olympics in Los Angeles, preventing hundreds of athletes from participating in the competition. The reason for the refusal looked somewhat vague and was formulated by the Soviet authorities as “lack of security guarantees on the American side.” Name: XXVI Summer Olympic Games This Olympics is remembered by the world as one of the most disorganized. During the competition, there were constant interruptions with electronics, the personnel serving the Games turned out to be incompetent, and the cherry on the cake was a bomb explosion in the Olympic Park. The explosion killed one person. Over a hundred were injured. Name: Games of the XXIX Olympiad 
1. Paris, 1900. Shooting pigeons
Date: from May 14 to October 28
Participating countries: 24
Athletes: 9972. USA, 1904. Dishonest marathon runners
Date: from July 1 to November 23
Participating countries: 12
Athletes: 6513. Stockholm, 1912. Gold is not for “coloreds”
Date: from 5 to 27 June
Participating countries: 28
Athletes: 24074. Amsterdam, 1928. Women not allowed
Date: from May 17 to August 12
Participating countries: 46
Athletes: 28835. Berlin, 1936. Nazis and ladyboys
Date: from 1 to 16 August
Participating countries: 49
Athletes: 40666. Munich, 1972. The bloodiest Olympics
Date: from August 26 to September 10
Participating countries: 121
Athletes: 71707. Canada, 1976. Cunning Russian foil player
Date: from July 17 to August 1
Participating countries: 92
Athletes: 60288. Moscow, 1980. “Afghan” boycott
Date: from July 19 to August 3
Participating countries: 80
Athletes: 51799. Los Angeles, 1984. Retaliatory boycott of the USSR
Date: from July 28 to August 12
Participating countries: 140
Athletes: 682910. Atlanta, 1996. Chaos and riots
Date: from July 19 to August 4
Participating countries: 197
Athletes: 10 32011. Beijing, 2008. Beating a judge
Date: from August 8 to August 24
Participating countries: 204
