Paris Olympics Cheating Allegations – Article on Culture Archive
The Olympics is the biggest sporting event in the world. There are wins. There are losses. And obviously, there are controversies. The Paris games are no different. From Chinese athletes under the scanner for doping to a convicted rapist taking part in the games, diplomatic ties with referees, allegations of cheating, and even photos with judges, everything seems to be a scandal at the Paris olympics this year.
The Olympics may have just started, but there’s no stopping Jang Yu. After all, she’s China’s butterfly queen. Since the Olympics began, she has won three bronze medals. A great achievement for many out there, but for Jiang, it’s bittersweet. She’s been eyeing the gold, and it was not unrealistic after all. She’s one of China’s best swimmers, but her run may have been derailed by a controversy. In the last 10 days, the Chinese swimming team has undergone 200 doping tests. It’s because of a doping scandal at the Tokyo Olympics. Half of the team tested positive for a banned substance, a banned heart drug called trimetazidine.
The swimmers were soon cleared by China’s anti-doping agency. Beijing said they were contaminated, but the pressure is apparent. China believes the testing regime is hurting the team.But while all eyes are on China’s swimming team, he’s someone who’s trying to slip under the radar. Steven Vander is a Dutch volleyball player. He raped a 12-year-old girl. He was convicted. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison. Yet he was released after just 12 months, and now he’s playing for the Dutch team at the games. The Dutch volleyball federation may have no comments, but spectators did not let it go easily. They booed him right before his opening match. The 29-year-old eventually lost the match to Italy. He didn’t have much to say about the loss, but losses are a touchy subject at this year’s game.
Take the men’s foil event. Italy’s Filippo Machi lost against Hong Kong’s Chung Kalong, and citizens were furious. Italians said that they were robbed, so Hong Kong hit back. Netizens responded with posts on loving pineapple pizza and pasta with soy sauce, but snubbing on the internet is one thing. Filing a complaint is another. So Italy’s Olympic Committee filed a formal complaint. It said that it was unhappy with the referees from the match. Why? Because they belonged to South Korea and Taipei. Italy complained that they are geographically closer to Hong Kong. It’s not the only time judges have been under the scannerhave been under the scanner this year. An Australian surfing judge was removed from the Olympics. Why? Because he posed on Instagram with an Australian Olympic Surfer and the team coach. Soon the photo blew up on the internet and the international Surfing Association had to comment. They called it inappropriate and the judge Ben Low was removed from his post.
So doping allegations, rapists taking part, allegations against judges and controversy over an Instagram picture. Well, we guess no Olympics is complete without its share of controversies. The Olympics go on till the 11th of August but it has already seen its fair share of drama. Across continents, one powerful news source bringing you diverse perspectives on the issues that matter. We go beyond the boundaries to give you that little extra about every sporting moment.
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