FASTER, HIGHER CLEANER GAMES

A state sponsored doping scandal involving Russian athletes at the 2014 Sochi and 2016 Rio Games cast a shadow on the Olympics. Testing for banned substances has increased over the years.

Every Olympic athlete takes an oath not to cheat in the Games, but year after year athletes from archers to wrestlers get caught. But it’s not just a few athletes looking for an edge, it can be whole nations looking to bag loads of medals.

The World Anti-Doping Agency was established in 1999 after huge scandals shook the cycling world. The agency was brought in to test athletes in the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and has increased its testing capacity nearly every year over the last 20 years.

In 2016, a Chinese swimmer, a Polish weightlifter and a Bulgarian steeplechaser were expelled from the Olympics for doping in the first few days. In 2021, U.S. sprinter Sha’Cari Richardson was banned from the games after testing positive for THC. She was suspended for 30 days. The list of banned substances is presented in January of each year, and two years ago CBD was cleared while THC is still banned.

We may not know the real medal counts for countries until long after the Games and all the lab test results are in. It took WADA and the International Olympic Committee several years to strip Russian athletes of their medals after the 2014 cheating scandal.

The square shape of the logo background represents the customs and the rules that define sport. The color black evokes neutrality and is the traditional color of the referee.

The equal sign expresses equity and fairness. The color green evokes health and nature and the field of play.

The agency’s motto is “play true,” which is intended as a guiding principle for all athletes at every level of competition.

A few of the hundreds of athletes caught at the Olympic Games:

Why Russia is banned

The World Anti-Doping Agency said that Russia orchestrated a vast state-sponsored doping scheme at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and, after it was caught, altered its athletes’ samples and lab results to try to cover it up. At the Rio 2016 Games, many Russian athletes were banned from competing. At the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, clean Russian athletes appeared under a neutral flag.

World Anti-Doping Agency logo

In 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, bobsledder Alexandr Zubkov was the flag bearer of Russia for the Opening Ceremony. Zubkov won gold in both two-man and four-man bobsleigh, but his medals were taken away after the Russian doping scandal was uncovered. Russia had at least 21 medals taken away.

East Germany: At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, East Germany won 40 gold medals. Competitors and observers suspected steroids abuse but there was no agency for oversight. At least 9,000 athletes were given performance-enhancing drugs. Following German reunification in 1990, some perpetrators of the doping scheme were tried and found guilty.

Bakhaavaa Buidaa, 1972 Dianabol

Men’s judo, Mongolia

First athlete to be stripped of a medal for anabolic steroids. Up until this time most athletes stripped of medals were for using illegal stimulants.

Cian O’Connor, 2004 Equestrian, Ireland Lance Armstrong Blood doping

Men’s cycling, U.S. Armstrong’s medal from the Sydney Games was stripped six years after his blood was retested and found to be dirty.

Each sample is given a bar code for identification.

O’Connor’s gold medal was stripped after his horse, Waterford Crystal, was found to have two banned substances in it.

Sources: The Associated Press, World Anti-Doping Agency, BBC, International Association of Athletics Federations, International Olympic Committee, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Photos from The Associated Press and Wikimedia Commons Every medalist and 50% of all athletes provide ‘A’ and ‘B’ samples at an official Doping Control Station. An official from a governing agency must be present. Blood and urine samples can be required. Sample ‘A’ is tested. Sample ‘B’ will be used only if there is a positive or odd result on sample ‘A’. More than 3,149 samples were analyzed at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympics Games. More tests are being performed in Tokyo. The labs work around the clock, testing for the more than 240 prohibited substances. Test results are typically released in 24 hours, but some may take longer. All results are reported to the International Olympic Committee. All Olympic samples will be securely stored after the Games for eight years. Marion Jones, 2000 Track and field, U.S. The IOC formally stripped Marion Jones of her five Olympic medals from the 2000 Sydney Games in October 2007, wiping her name from the record books following her admission that she was a drug cheat.

France (114), 15% Italy (132) 15% Ben Johnson, 1988 100 meters, Canada Johnson had his gold medal stripped after he tested positive for Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid. Johnson shattered the world record, running a 9.82. Carl Lewis, who placed second, was given the gold medal three days later. Ross Rebagliati, 1998 Snowboard Giant Slalom, Canada The only athlete to lose his gold medal after testing positive for marijuana. He appealed the decision and his medal was returned.

Alexandr Zubkov with President Vladimir Putin at the award ceremonies for Russian athletes 2014.