Buzz
The Olympic Games are the ultimate showcase for athletes worldwide, embodying years of tireless dedication. Athletes train relentlessly, refining their craft to reach the highest level, all with the dream of becoming an Olympian. But for some, the dream culminates with a chance to stand on the podium, proudly adorned with their medals, while for others, their journey is marked by a different fate.
Despite the grandeur of the Olympics, the human element inevitably leads to moments of misfortune. These unexpected setbacks, although often overshadowed by triumphs, leave an indelible mark on the Games. Rather than focusing on the infamous disasters that have marred the event, let’s delve into ten lesser-known yet unforgettable Olympic mishaps.
10. The Tragedy of the Silent Doves
During the 1896 Olympics in Athens, doves were released as a symbol of peace and freedom. This gesture became an official part of the opening ceremonies starting in 1920 at the Antwerp Games. While the practice is believed to have roots stretching back centuries, some historians argue that homing pigeons were first used during the ancient Olympics to deliver news of a hometown athlete’s victory to their families and villages.
However, the symbolic gesture took a disastrous turn during Seoul’s 1988 opening ceremony. As three athletes ascended a rising platform to light the massive Olympic cauldron, several doves made a fateful error of perching on the cauldron before it was ignited. When the torches were lit, a Korean barbecue unfolded, turning white feathers into ash in front of the watching world. It quickly became clear that the Olympic committee would need to revise future ceremonies to avoid another embarrassing public spectacle.
In 1992, there were no unfortunate bird-related incidents. The doves were released long before the lighting of the Barcelona cauldron, bringing peace of mind to animal lovers everywhere.
9. A Tarnished Reputation
Before the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, drug testing among Olympic athletes was not conducted. This lack of regulation should have become apparent following the 1952 Oslo Winter Games, where several speed skaters overdosed on amphetamines and required medical assistance.
Yet, it was the tragic death of Danish cyclist Knud Jensen at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome that propelled anti-doping efforts into the spotlight. Jensen became notorious as the first Olympic athlete to die from a drug overdose during competition. His death became a rallying point for those advocating for stricter anti-doping regulations, with his legacy now intertwined with the fight against performance-enhancing drugs.
In truth, the autopsy of the cyclist revealed that while amphetamines were found in his system, they were unlikely to have caused his death. However, Jensen’s death, officially attributed to heatstroke, was seized upon as a propaganda tool. To this day, the myth surrounding the first Olympic overdose endures, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
8. Integrity
At the 1964 Summer Olympics, Kokichi Tsuburaya, a first lieutenant in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, had the honor of competing on his home soil in Tokyo. However, what should have been a moment of pride turned into a profound disappointment for the lead marathoner. Overtaken in the final 100 meters, he finished third. Despite earning a bronze medal, Tsuburaya felt deeply ashamed, believing he had dishonored himself, his family, and his country.
The immense weight of pride fueled Tsuburaya’s determination to succeed in future marathons. He expressed, “I made an unforgivable mistake in front of the Japanese people. I must make up for it by running and raising the Hinomaru in the next Olympics in Mexico.” Unfortunately, Tsuburaya's aspirations were crushed as an ongoing lower back problem began to take a toll after the Tokyo games.
As the pain from his injury grew unbearable, Tsuburaya's hope of winning a gold medal faded. The thought of another devastating defeat became too much to handle. On January 9, 1968, he ended his life by slashing his right wrist with a razor blade in his dormitory room. His suicide note cited his inability to run as the reason behind his tragic decision.
7. The Burning Torch
During the opening ceremony of the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, junior mile champion Ron Clarke was making his lap of honor around the stadium, unaware that the flesh on his right arm was being burned. As he made his way around, the deafening applause of the crowd masked the sound of fiery particles spilling from the torch he carried. It wasn’t until he was presented with a medallion by an official that Clarke realized not only had he left a trail of fire on the track behind him, but that the embers had burned through his shirt and scorched parts of his arm.
Clarke’s humorous predicament pales in comparison to the explosive mishap that took place at the 1968 Summer Olympics. During the torch exchanges, several runners were burned by small explosions when the torches made contact. Luckily, the solid fuel used, a mix of nitrates, sulfur, alkaline metal carbonates, resins, and silicons, was nontoxic. However, it became highly volatile when a lit torch came into contact with an unlit one.
6. Spicy Treats
The controversial dish bosingtang, known for its special ingredient, caused quite an uproar among foreign visitors to Pyeongchang during the 2018 Winter Olympics. Despite government efforts and financial incentives to curb its sale, numerous restaurants in the South Korean city continued serving the traditional dog meat stew. This was not the first time such actions were taken, as during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the sale of the meat was restricted in certain areas of the city. Ironically, this led to a surprising wave of defiance fueled by patriotism, with some Koreans consuming more dogs just to spite the foreign opposition.
Korean traditionalists have long held the belief that dog meat possesses mythical qualities that enhance virility and promote healing. While this practice is losing popularity among younger Koreans, the tradition remains alive in rural parts of the country. In fact, bosingtang is just one of many dog meat delicacies offered to those seeking a domesticated culinary experience, with dishes like dog salad, dog ribs, and even a dog “hot pot” among the choices.
5. The 1904 Oddities
The 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis are often regarded as one of the most bizarre chapters in athletic history. Overshadowed by the World’s Fair, the Games were intertwined with the Fair’s own set of events, such as mudslinging and ‘ethnic’ dances, all performed for the amusement of the predominantly Caucasian audience. The marathon, which was meant to be the crown jewel of the Olympics, instead became a chaotic series of spectacles. Only a handful of the runners were experienced marathoners, while the rest included ‘oddities,’ such as ten Greek nationals who had never run a marathon, and two barefoot Tsuana tribesmen from South Africa, who were only in St. Louis as part of the Fair.
The heat and humidity on the marathon course made conditions dangerously brutal for the athletes, who were subjected to nonsensical coaching instructions, including the near-complete restriction of fluid intake. Several competitors vomited and endured severe stomach cramps, one athlete was chased off the course by wild dogs, and others resorted to stealing food from unsympathetic spectators. American gold medalist Thomas Hicks was administered a cocktail of strychnine and egg whites by his coach, who diluted the concoction with brandy, marking the first documented instance of drug use in the modern Olympics.
4. The Fatal Cost of Pursuit
The Olympic Games demand the highest levels of physical and mental endurance, but such fierce competition comes with a risk. Although fatalities during the games themselves are rare, many athletes lose their lives in training, their names never becoming part of the Olympic history. One such case is that of 22-year-old Nigerian runner Hyginus Anugo, who tragically died after being struck by a car while training in Southwestern Sydney in 2000.
At the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, tragedy befell British luger Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki, who died in a practice crash. Similarly, Australian skier Ross Milne collided with a tree after veering off course. From deadly collisions with steel poles at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver to fatal heatstrokes at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, the most harrowing incident occurred at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. Swiss speed skier Nicholas Bochatay tragically leapt over a small hill during warm-ups and crashed into a tractor-like vehicle used for trail grooming. Adding to the heartbreak, Bochatay’s death occurred just minutes before the competition began.
3. 156 Voices
“I have just signed your death warrant,” Judge Rosemarie Aquilina declared in a Michigan courtroom in January 2018 after sentencing Dr. Larry Nassar to a prison term of 40 to 175 years. As the disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor hung his head in shame, the nation was left to wonder how the sexual abuse of over 150 girls and young women continued, or worse, was ignored for two decades. Of the 156 women who testified about the abuse they suffered under the pretense of medical treatment, it was tragically clear that their voices had been silenced for years by powerful organizations, most notably USA Gymnastics, Michigan State University, and the US Olympic Committee.
Despite pleading guilty to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct, in a letter he wrote to the court, Nassar accused his victims of lying, blamed the media for his tarnished reputation, and claimed that he was coerced into pleading guilty. The 54-year-old convicted felon even went so far as to write, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
2. Estadio Nacional Tragedy
One of the deadliest stadium disasters in history occurred on May 24, 1964, at the Estadio Nacional in Lima, Peru. The tragedy unfolded when a passionate crowd of football fans grew enraged over a controversial referee’s call. As Peru faced Argentina in a qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics, a disallowed equalizing goal for Peru ignited fury in the stands. In an instant, chaos erupted, leading to a brutal clash between the police and the spectators.
As tear gas poured down upon 53,000 spectators, those who tried to escape into the streets were trapped behind closed gates, suffocating in the densely packed tunnels. While the official death count remains at 328, this figure fails to account for the number of people killed outside the stadium by police gunfire. In reality, that number might never be fully known, as countless bodies with bullet wounds mysteriously disappeared from the morgues, and the identities of the deceased were never recorded.
1. Neighbors To The North
Rising tensions between South Korea and its northern neighbors are nothing new, especially during the Olympic season. From the moment Seoul secured its bid to host the 1988 Summer Games, North Korea was set on sabotaging the prestigious event at any cost. The regime's determination took a sinister turn on November 29, 1987, when Korean Air Flight 858, traveling from Baghdad to Seoul, vanished over the Andaman Sea with 115 passengers aboard. South Korean President Chun Doo Hwan immediately accused the North, officially charging the country for the tragedy two months later. Predictably, the communist government denied the charges and made numerous unsuccessful efforts to persuade allies, particularly China and the Soviet Union, to boycott the games.
The world would eventually discover the truth behind that tragic flight when Kim Hyon Hui confessed her role in the attack. The North Korean agent detailed how she and her accomplice, Kim Sung Il, planted a timed bomb on the jetliner, disguised as a radio. The thrill of the duo's mission, which aimed to sow 'chaos and confusion' in South Korea, was abruptly halted when they were arrested. Both took cyanide pills after their capture. While Sung Il died, Hyon Hui survived. She was sentenced to death but later pardoned, and she now lives freely.
