Whether we like it or not, cheating is a big thing in sports. And, from time to time, cheaters have been exposed for their deeds.
Some of the biggest cheating scandals involve using steroids in the Sochi Games to betting on baseball, faking injuries, or even gender.
Let's look at the top 8 doping scandals in the world of sports.
The Black Sox
In 1919, eight Chicago White Sox players were accused of giving away the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds after taking bribes from gambling kingpin Arnold Rothstein.
According to casino experts from Exycasinos, it was one of the biggest betting frauds in history.
Even though "Shoeless" Joe Jackson later claimed that he and his teammates were not involved in the scam, they were banned for life and ineligible for top honors like induction in the Hall of Fame.
Lance Armstrong Doping Scandal
The doping scandal was often called the "most sophisticated doping" scheme in sports history. The seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong was accused of doping, and after years of denial, he finally admitted to using steroids in all of his tour victories.
The world was shocked by the level of sophistication he and his team used to cheat. The scandal has become a topic of many books and Hollywood films.
Spanish Basketball Scandal
Spain won the basketball ID tournament in the 2000 Paralympics. It was later found that 10 of the 12 players were persons with no disabilities. Investigations revealed that the IQ tests system failed, deliberately at the behest of some officials.
The players were stripped of all the medals and all related events the players took part in. The Spanish team was eventually suspended for the next two Summer Paralympics as a punishment.
East Germany Olympic Scandal
The 1960s, 70s, and 80s saw East Germany winning many Olympic medals, some of them smashing all records, especially in the pool games. There was a reason behind their feats.
In the 90s, former East German athletes, 200 of them, sued drugs giant Jenapharm for giving them steroids during their sports career. The state-sponsored scheme used an anabolic steroid called Oral-Turinabol, which builds muscle and speeds up recovery.
However, the cost was high. The athletes started suffering from cancer, heart ailments, and infertility. On the brighter side, most of the athletes were not even aware of what they had been given to them by their coaches.
The end of communist rule and the reunification of Germany resulted in exposing the scandal.
Bloodgate Scandal
In the world of rugby, when a player is injured, they would be substituted even if he has already been taken off (they wouldn't be easily be allowed to get back in the game).
In 2009, Harlequins winger Tom Williams discreetly bit a fake blood capsule given to him by coach Dean Richards so that Williams could be brought off for Nick Evans, who was already substituted before.
Quins were, however, defeated. After the incident, Williams was banned from the game for four months, and Richards got a three-year ban from coaching.
Rosie Ruiz's Boston Marathon Subway Scandal
The world-famous Boston Marathon got its biggest scandal when Rosie Ruiz won the prize with record time in 1980, finishing the run 20 minutes faster than her previous best was too good to be true.
A probe was launched, and she was stripped of her medal after it was found that Ruiz left the race route, took the subway, and rejoined the race miles later.
Tonya Harding
In 1994, American ice skating star Nancy Kerrigan was attacked with a baton, forcing her to miss the US Figure Skating Championship. Investigations revealed that Kerrigan's rival Tonya Harding allegedly sent the man who attacked her.
Tonya has denied her involvement. However, she was held guilty of obstructing the probe and banned from the sporting event. The unbelievable story was made into an Oscar-nominated film aptly titled "I, Tonya".
Russian Scandal at Sochi 2014
Russia was exposed as a state officially engaged in doping programs for its sportspersons in various events held in the last 50 years. The whistleblower was the former director of Russia's national anti-doping laboratory, Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov.
Although the documentary exposed doping in various sports over a long period, its primary focus was the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
In 2016, the McLaren Report, which the World Anti-Doping Agency commissioned, found that Russia was directly involved in doping "beyond a reasonable doubt".
