The 44 Most Iconic Olympic Scandals Through History

In 1908, American John Carpenter was disqualified from the 400 meter race for blocking British competitor Wyndham Halswelle, who attempted to pass him. A second race was scheduled, in which Halswelle would have faced two other American contenders, but they both boycotted the race to protest Carpenter's disqualification. As a result, Halswelle won gold in the only walkover in Olympics history.

Jim Thorpe won gold in 1912 for both the pentathlon and decathlon. He was stripped of those medals a year later, when it was discovered that he had played minor league baseball professionally in 1909 and 1910. The medals were returned to him in 1982, 30 years after his death.

Known as one of the "Flying Finns," Paavo Nurmi was a decorated distance runner who won nine gold medals from 1920-1928. Hoping to compete in 1932, he was ultimately banned due to claims that he was no longer an amateur after receiving payment for a tour in 1925. Competitors pleaded that he be allowed to race, but were ignored.

Another scandal occurred in 1932 when Swedish competitor Bertil Sandström was demoted to last place after receiving the silver medal in equestrian dressage. Officials claimed he was illegally "clicking" encouragement to his horse, meanwhile he maintained it was the creak of his saddle.

At the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, a water polo match turned violent when Hungary's star player Ervin Zador got punched in the face by Russian opponent Valentin Prokopov. The incident has become symbolic of political tensions at the time resulting from the Hungarian struggle against Soviet rule.

After two athletes performed the Black Power salute during the US anthem, George Foreman inadvertently made a statement by waving a small American flag following his heavyweight boxing win. Even though Foreman later commented that he simply wanted to identify his home country, critics accused him of being a "race traitor" at the time.

French skier Jean-Claude Killy won triple gold in alpine skiing after a deeply controversial outcome in the slalom race. Fellow competitor and Austrian skier Karl Shranz claimed a mysterious man crossed his path during the race and caused him to skid to a halt. He was allowed a restart, beat Killy's time, but was later disqualified to make Killy the ultimate champion after all.

East Germany's women's luge team — a shoo-in for gold — shocked the world when they were disqualified for illegally warming up their blades before the competition. “A jury member acted immediately,” International Luge Federation President Bert Isatitsch said, according to the Madera Tribune. "He went to the starting line and put his hands on the runners. They were warm."

After the Munich Massacre, tensions high at the 1972 Olympics leading up to the stunning loss of the US Men's Basketball team. Though it appeared the American team had clinched the victory, the Soviets came out on top after the final seconds of the game were replayed several times. As an act of defiance against the calls that led to their defeat, the US team has refused to accept their silver medals to this day.

American marathoner Frank Shorter was just a small distance from winning gold when a German imposter entered the stadium ahead of him. In an authentic outburst, ABC reporter Erich Segal shouted, "It's a fraud, Frank!," which is now one of the most iconic sports calls of all time.

Soviet athlete Boris Onischenko was sent home after he got caught cheating during the fencing portion of the modern pentathlon. It was discovered that his weapon had an elaborate wiring system that allowed him to register hits regardless of whether it connected with his opponent.

While Polish pole vaulter Władysław Kozakiewicz was attempting to break the world record in 1980, he was greeted by jeers from the primarily Russian crowed. When he finally succeeded, he gave "the arm" (a signal for a certain expletive) to the spectators and became an overnight sensation worldwide.

American light-heavyweight boxer Evander Holyfield was a clear favorite to win gold in 1984. Many questioned the call that led to his defeat by New Zealander Kevin Barry, in which the referee disqualified him for making a hit after a break was ordered.

Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson set a new world record of 9.79 seconds in the 100 meter event to win gold in 1988. He was sent home, however, when he tested positive for anabolic steroids and got his gold medal revoked.

Park Si-Hun, the South Korean boxer who defeated American Roy Jones, Jr., to this day still wishes he had won silver instead. The result of the fight, which was decided by a 3-2 vote, remains one of the most controversial events in boxing history.

American gold medalist Greg Louganis famously hit his head on a diving board during a preliminary Olympics round, but that wasn't the only setback he faced. He was also secretly suffering from AIDS at the time, and didn't reveal the condition until seven years later to avoid losing his chance to compete.

It didn't take long for the mysterious attacker of figure skater Nancy Kerrigan to be connected to the ex-husband of fellow American skater Tonya Harding. The incident is so historic that it became the subject of the film I, Tonya.

When a 1998 ice dancing judge was caught on video attempting to rig the results, the integrity of the entire sport came under fire. IOC Vice President Dick Pound publicly expressed his disappointment at the blatant cheating, and urged the sport to be removed from the Olympics unless its reputation changed.

Snowboarding made a controversial debut as an Olympic sport when its first gold medalist, Canadian athlete Ross Rebagliati, was disqualified following a routine drug test after the race. He failed due to the test showing traces of marijuana, was arrested and then re-awarded the gold medal after the court ruled this drug wasn't part of the banned list of substances.

Several women's gymnastics competitors suffered due to the vault being set two inches too low during the first two rotations of the competition. US Gymnastics President Bob Colarossi called it an "unthinkable error," and others agreed it was one of the most egregious mistakes in the history of the Olympics.