7 Times Summer Olympic Games Ran into Controversy

2 Women’s 800m event is banned

In 1928, women fought and won the rights to participate in the track events. However, it caused a very competitive event to be banned for 32 years. The event was the women 800m race and the reason was that many of the runners collapsed at the finish line with exhaustion.

Coaches and public called for the event to be banned after news papers reported that women fell after putting everything they had in the race. Coaches didn’t want the women runners to damage their feminine bodies and the event was banned.

It was in the 1960 Olympics, that middle distance female runners were brought back in the games.

Image Source: www.netdna-cdn.com

3 A marathon runner gets some help

The marathon is one of the most grueling and endurance testing even in the Olympics. In the 1904, Missouri Olympics, a marathon runner by the name of Fred Lorz seemed to achieve his dream of winning gold in front of his home crowd.

Whoever, the heat of the summer got to majority of the 32 participants and caused them to bleed, vomit, get cramps and eventually some of them quit. Lorz was also at his physical end at the 9 mile mark. However, he got some help from a passing car and he took a lift in the car for 2 miles. At the mile 11 point, he decided to go alone on foot and completed the race on foot to thunderous applause from his city folks.

He received the winner’s wreath from President Roosevelt’s daughter Alice. However, an official rushed to the podium and revealed the truth. Lorz tried to laugh off the incident, but the games official didn’t find anything funny and he was banned from the sports altogether.

Image Source: www.netdna-cdn.com