As much as we can't wait for the London Olympics and have many fond memories of previous stagings, there has been some not-so-memorable moments in the Games history. Alex Lee looks back at some of the worst...
Terrorism
Emotions often run high in the Olympic Games, but people having a bit of a cry after narrowly missing out on the medals pales into insignificance alongside the altogether more horrific events of 1972. That year, Palestinian terrorist organization Black September was found responsible for the kidnapping and murder of eleven Israeli athletes and officials, and the fatal shooting of a West German policeman, during the Olympics in Munich.
Tit-for-tat boycotts
Rather than concentrate on putting aside their long-rumbling political differences by competing in the Olympics, 1980 Olympics saw the USA boycott the Moscow Olympics as part of a package of actions initiated by the Americans to protest the Soviet war in Afghanistan. With depressing predictability, this was followed four years later in 1984 when the Olympics was boycotted by the Soviet Union and other Communist-friendly countries.
Ben Johnson drugs cheat
The 1988 100 metres final had been hyped up beyond recognition in the days building up to it, but the pre-race excitement was nothing compared to the post-event shock. Carl Lewis was widely expected to coast the race, but Canadian Ben Johnson breezed past Lewis as if he'd imbued some sort of wonder drug. Trouble was, it turned out he had done. Drugs cheat Johnson, as he is now commonly known, had taken the banned steroid stanozolol and his gold medal was swiftly removed from his trophy cabinet. Lewis' silver, therefore, became gold and Linford Christie's bronze became silver.
Mary Decker/Zola Budd
It's rare that a women's race is given as much media attention as this one. South African-born and barefoot runner Zola Budd, who had been 'fast-tracked' through as a British citizen for the purpose of competing in the 1984 Olympics faced the glamorous and much-supported Mary Decker in the final of the 3000 metres. To cut to the chase, Budd and Decker collided three times just past the half-way point of the race, with the third collision sending Decker sprawling off the track and clearly upsetting Budd. The partisan crowd booed Budd, blaming her for Decker's downfall, when video evidence has since proved the incident was totally accidental. Budd finished a disappointing seventh, later claiming that she slowed down so as not to face the wrath of the crowd if she'd won.
Greg Louganis smashes his head
Despite the incident being broadcast with predictable regularity every time diving is mentioned on TV, you cannot help but scream 'OUCH' when Greg Louganis cracks his head against the diving board. In trying to perform a complicated mid-air manoeuvre (a reverse 2 and a half pike, fact fans), Louganis suffered concussion after his miscalculation caused him to smash his bonce, rather than simply hurtle gracefully water-wards. The American had the last laugh, however, taking the gold medal in two events - the three metre springboard and the 10 metre platform.
Paula Radcliffe misses out
Multi-medallist Paula Radcliffe holds the World Record for the marathon and has won countless cross country, 5000 metres and 10,000 metres events in her career, but an Olympic gold medal has eluded her, with her most recent attempt, in 2008, ending ignominiously. Despite winning the New York Marathon in November 2007, Radcliffe finished a lowly 23rd which with hindsight wasn't a bad effort considering she'd broken her leg in the May.
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