For many medal winners, the Olympics bring back memories of victory and glory. But for some athletes, the competition can evoke flashbacks of headline-making scandals. Viewers of the 1994 Olympics, for instance, will surely remember how Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed at the U.
S. Figure Skating Championship shortly before the Games. While she went on to win silver in Lillehammer, Tonya Harding —whose ex-husband Jeff Gillooly served time in prison for his role in the attack along with bodyguard Shawn Eckardt , hitman Shane Stant and driver Derrick Smith —was banned from the U.
S. Figure Skating Association for live after she pleaded guilty to hindering the prosecution. Then there was the time U.
S. swimmer Ryan Lochte admitted to overexaggerating about a gas station incident—later dubbed Lochtegate—in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Olympics, resulting in him being banned from national and international competition for 10 months. “I want to apologize for my behavior last weekend,” the 12-time medalist wrote in part of a 2016 statement on Instagram , “for not being more careful and candid in how I described the events of that early morning and for my role in taking the focus away from the many athletes fulfilling their dreams of participating in the Olympics.
” But these aren’t the only shocking moments fans may recall. There was also Russia’s ban from the 2018 Winter Games after being accused of a doping scandal, the judging controversy following Jamie Sale and Davi.
