Mandatory Credit: Youtube.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n12. Corrupt French Judge<\/h3>\n There was a major scandal during the figure skating competition in 2002’s Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. The controversy led to both teams Russia and Canada being awarded gold medals. Marie-Reine Le Gougne was the woman in the middle of the scandal after she broke down and admitted she had been pressured into giving Russia higher points than Canada.<\/p>\n
She was slammed with a three-year ban by ice-skating’s world governing body and banned from judging in the next Olympics. The entire judging system was replaced for the next games, although that would be changed again for the Sochi Olympics in Russia. The craziest part is that Russia did have a decent claim to deserving the gold. Technically they were better, although Canada had a better presentation.<\/p>\nMandatory Credit: Twitter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n11. Annoying Marathon Winner 1952<\/h3>\n Emil Zatopek was possibly the world’s most annoying Olympic gold medallist. According to his fellow athletes, he just wouldn’t shut up. No seriously, the man couldn’t stop talking, especially during races where he’s said to have been even more social than he was off the track. After winning the 5,000 and 10,000 metres he turned his attention to the marathon.<\/p>\n
Hd didn’t even know the rules when he entered and because he was so annoying, Olympic officials refused to tell him. Zatopek’s strategy was to follow the favourite. He struck up a conversation with the unfortunate dude and went onto win gold. He didn’t even realize that he was allowed to stop for refreshments along the way. <\/p>\nMandatory Credit: Youtube.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n10. 1988 Boxing Brawl<\/h3>\n There’s never more pressure to win than in front of your own fans. Just ask Byun Jong-Il, a South Korean boxer who was taking on Alexander Hristov in the 1988 Seoul Summer Games. The hometown hero was backed heavily by his countrymen, but they were disappointed when Hristov won a 4-1 decision. So they all swarmed the ring and attacked the referee.<\/p>\n
Keith Walker, the man in the middle, was physically assaulted by the crowd, forcing armed guards to intervene and potentially save his life. He took several punches and after the match immediately fled the country out of fear for his life. That’s the Olympic spirit right there… <\/p>\nMandatory Credit: Youtube.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n9. Tonga’s Olympic Hero<\/h3>\n We don’t have enough space to talk about Pita Taufatofua. Best known as the Tongan flagbearer, he captured the attention of the world with his oiled-up chest. The Taekwondo athlete competed in Rio De Janeiro, getting there against all of the odds. He lost in the first round, but that doesn’t really matter.<\/p>\n
Even crazier is the fact that he competed in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018. Despite having hardly seen snow in his life, Taufatofua took part in the cross-country skiing event. He was the only athlete from Tonga and had run up $30,000 in debt to qualify. The thing he’s most proud of? He didn’t even finish last. <\/p>\nMandatory Credit: Twitter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n8. Women Cheat by Heating Up Their Skates<\/h3>\n There’s all that talk about the Olympic spirit but not every athlete plays by the rules. Countless competitors have been cited for doping, but there have been other types of cheating in both the Summer and Winter instalments. One of the most creative ideas was in Squaw Valley in 1962.<\/p>\n
Ortrun Enderlein and two of her East German teammates decided to get an edge in the luge competition by heating up their skates. Enderlein finished first, while her teammates finished third and fourth. They were found out though and disqualified. The East German Olympic Committee literally blamed it on a “capitalist revanchist plot.”<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=C2LVihKXFwM<\/a><\/p>\n7. Eddie the Eagle<\/h3>\n Michael Edwards, AKA Eddie the Eagle, found himself ingrained in Olympic lore after competing in the 1988 Olympics. Obsessed with the competition, he wanted to be a speed skater but failed to qualify for 1984. However, he found a loophole when he realized that Britain had no jump skiers and he’d qualify by default if he just signed up. Edwards was offered his place while plastering a mental hospital in Finland. Yep.<\/p>\n
He finished last in all of his jumps and was asked not to the second one in case he died. He didn’t and is now a legend. The Olympic committee changed the qualification rules after the Calgary games so that nothing like this could ever happen again. Sadly, Edwards never qualified again but there was a movie made about his life. <\/p>\n