Top five controversies that shocked Paris Olympics 2024

The Paris Olympics 2024 had their share of controversies with the athletes.

The Paris Olympics 2024 saw various controversies around the athletes. The quadrennial event started on a rough note, with the men’s football match between Argentina and Morocco. The match ended with no spectators as violence erupted during the game.

There were issues before Paris Olympics 2024 and after it too, but few athletes were involved in major conflicts during the event. It brought outrage and protests from the fans who thought the officials had gone too far.

Let’s have a look at the major controversies that took place during the Paris Olympics 2024.

Luana Alonso- Expelled from Olympic Village

Luana Alonso competed in the women’s 100m butterfly event. She finished sixth in her heat and 29th overall. According to reports, Alonso was expelled from the Olympic Village for violating the rules. She had allegedly spent a night outside the village instead of spending time with her team members.

Alonso denied all reports of her being expelled from the Paraguay camp during Paris Olympics 2024.

Jordan Chiles- Bronze medal returned

American gymnast Jordan Chiles was in the midst of a boiling controversy at Paris Olympics 2024. During the women’s floor exercise final, Chiles was placed fifth when Ana Barbosu began her celebrations with the Romanian flag, as she won the bronze medal.

Also Read: Pramod Bhagat ‘deeply saddened’ by CAS decision; Paralympic champion reacts to Paris 2024 suspension

But, the decision was reversed as US head coach Cecile Landi stepped in to challenge the judges’ scores. Points were awarded to Chiles as the judges changed their scores. Chiles won bronze, but Romania took their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. They mentioned that Landi had breached the one minute review time.

Five days later on August 10, the verdict was in favour of Barbosu, as Chiles was instructed to return her bronze medal. USA have submitted proof that Landi did not breach the time limit for review.

Tom Craig- Cocaine possession

Tom Craig was representing Australia in the men’s hockey team and was caught buying cocaine in Paris. He admitted guilt for the crime and apologised for his behaviour.

The 28-year-old had bought one gram of cocaine and was let off with a warning from the Paris police officials.

Imane Khelif- Gender dispute

Imane Khelif of Algeria won the gold medal in the women’s welterweight boxing division at Paris Olympics 2024. Her opening bout ended 30 seconds after the first punch. Khelif’s opponent Angela Carini felt that it was the hardest punch she received. Carini refused to compete and withdrew from the bout. The International Olympic Commitee felt that the Algerian athlete had not violated any rules at the Games.

The issue became quite serious after reports surfaced of Khelif failing to meet eligibility requirements for the women’s competition during the 2023 International Boxing Association’s World Boxing Championships.

Khelif was subjected to online abuse as fans labelled her as a man. She has registered a complaint against X for harassment.

Vinesh Phogat- Disqualification before final

Vinesh Phogat had made history for India when she became the first woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final. She was a few hours away from the women’s wrestling freestyle 50kg final until the announcement that she had been disqualified from the final. Phogat had failed the weigh-in and was overweight by 100 grams.

Phogat was placed last as a result and the case has been filed at CAS. The Indian Olympic Association is hoping that a positive verdict will be given on August 16.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram