Athletes Who Have Been Stripped of Olympic Medals and Why They’ve Had Them Revoked

Athletes Who Have Been Stripped of Olympic Medals and Why They’ve Had Them Revoked https://ift.tt/hZEUd2m

Jordan Chiles is the latest U.S. athlete to have an Olympic medal revoked, a controversial ruling that the Olympic and Paralympic Committee intends to appeal

<p>Mike Powell /Allsport; Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu via Getty; David Madison/Getty</p> Lance Armstrong; Jordan Chiles; Marion Jones — *Mike Powell /Allsport; Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu via Getty; David Madison/Getty*
*Lance Armstrong; Jordan Chiles; Marion Jones*

Jordan Chiles isn't the first athlete to have an Olympic medal taken away.

The American gymnast had an impressive run at the 2024 Paris Games, earning a team all-around gold with the rest of the U.S. gymnastics team on July 30 and a bronze in the individual floor exercise competition on Aug. 5.

Chiles was stripped of her bronze medal five days later after a judge for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in favor of two Romanian gymnasts, Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. They finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

The decision to revoke Chiles' medal came after a protest by the Romanian Olympic committee, who claimed that the difficulty score inquiry submitted by the American's coach passed the one-minute deadline. (Chiles' originally finished in fifth place, prior to the inquiry that boosted her score to medal.)

Stripping an athlete of their Olympic medal isn't a new move, though the decision to do so is rare. Several athletes from Summer Games past have had their medals taken away, though a failed drug test or use of a banned substance have been the most common reasons why.

In Chiles' case, though, the medal revoking decision could potentially be reversed. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) announced they were appealing the ruling after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ordered that Chiles was to return her bronze.

Read on for a list of American athletes who've had their Olympic medals taken away, including why they were revoked.

Jim Thorpe, 1912 Stockholm Olympics

Jim Thorpe, who's regarded as one of the greatest athletes of his time, was the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal for the Unites States at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. He placed first in the pentathlon and decathlon.

The following year, the International Olympic Committee stripped Thorpe of his medals and struck out his records because he played two seasons of summertime semi-pro baseball. At the time, this was a violation of the elitist Victorian rules of amateurism.

Meanwhile, 70-plus years after the Summer Games and three decades after Thorpe died, the medals that were taken away from him were restored in 1982. His family attended a ceremony in his honor.

Rick DeMont, 1972 Munich Olympics

Rick DeMont, a former competitive swimmer with various world records to his name, won a gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics for his first-place finish in the men's 400-meter freestyle.

After his victory, the IOC revoked his gold medal after testing positive for a banned substance in his post-race urinalysis. DeMont, an asthmatic, regularly took Marax (an ephedrine derivative) to control his wheezing and did so in the Olympic Village prior to the race.

DeMont didn't deny his usage, nor hide the fact that he took Marax — however, the U.S. medical team failed to check if it contained any banned substances. The athlete sued the USOC for mishandling the situation and fought to get his medal back — but despite DeMont's efforts, his gold medal was not restored.

Lance Armstrong, 2000 Sydney Olympics

Lance Armstrong, former professional road racing cyclist, was stripped of his bronze medal from the 2000 Sydney Games 13 years after finishing third in the men’s individual road cycling time trial. The IOC asked for his medal back after the athlete admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career.

The revoking of Armstrong's medal was among the most highly-followed cases in American history, which resulted in his life-long ban from Olympic sports. He was also stripped of his Tour de France titles and other cycling accolades earned since 1998.

Marion Jones, 2000 Sydney Olympics

Marion Jones, a former track-and-field athlete, won three gold and two bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She finished first in the 100, 200, and 4×400 meter relay and third in the long jump and 4×100 relay.

In October 2007, Jones' medals were revoked after admitting that she lied to a grand jury when she stated that she had never taken performance-enhancing drugs. Not only did the IOC strip her of her medals and records that December, but she was sentenced to six-months in jail.

Tyler Hamilton, 2004 Athens Olympics

Tyler Hamilton, who's regarded as one of the greatest American cyclists, won a gold medal in the individual time trial at the 2004 Olympics. The victory, though, was overshadowed by a doping test that had a positive A sample.

Meanwhile, Hamilton's B sample was frozen which prevented it from being tested. Therefore, the athlete wasn't docked for a doping violation and was allowed to keep his gold medal.

Carl Lewis, 1988 Seoul Olympics

<p>Focus on Sport/Getty</p> Car Lewis 1988 Seoul Olympics — *Focus on Sport/Getty*
*Car Lewis 1988 Seoul Olympics*

Carl Lewis is one of only four athletes to have won nine Olympic gold medals. His medal-removal case at the 1988 Seoul Games was a bit different from the previously mentioned athletes, as his place was bumped up following the disqualification of his competitor.

Canada's Ben Johnson originally won gold in the 100-meter final, but failed a drug test that ultimately disqualified him from the competition and required him to hand over the top prize to Lewis. The American traded his silver medal for an Olympic gold that year.

Jason Turner, 2008 Beijing Olympics

Jason Turner's case at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was similar to that of Carl Lewis' medal switch-up in Seoul. The American shooter originally placed fourth in the 10-meter air pistol competition, but ultimately topped the podium after his competitor's disqualification.

His opponent, North Korea's Kim Jong-su, initially won the bronze medal. However, Jong-su tested positive for the banned substance propranolol which forced him to give up his 2008 Summer Games medal to Turner.

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