CHEATERS HALL OF SHAME

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.

Alexandr Zubkov with President Vladimir Putin at the award ceremonies for Russian athletes 2014. 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 performanceenhancing drugs. Following German reunificaation 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.

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.

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.

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.

Cian O’connor, 2004 Equestrian, Ireland

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