Olympic Games Drug Scandals

The Olympic Games has not been without its share of doping scandals. Here are just a few of the highlights.

In Rome, 1960, after taking amphetamines, Danish cyclist Knuth Jensen collapsed during a race, fatally fracturing his skull.
In Mexico City 1968, Swedish pentathlete Hans-Grunner Liljenwall was the first athlete to be disqualified for drug use, having tested positive for excessive alcohol.

In 1988, Canadian Ben Johnson beat Carl Lewis in the 100-meter sprint with a world-record time of 9.79 seconds. Shortly afterwards, he tested positive for steroid use and was stripped of his medal.
In 1996, Ireland's Michelle Smith won three golds and a bronze in swimming. Smith was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs; this remained unproven, but she was suspended in 1998 for tampering with a urine sample.
The 2004 Athens Olympics are considered the dirtiest of all in terms of doping violations. At the time there were 26 doping cases including catching six medallists (two gold winners). Since then, retroactive tests (up to Dec 2012) have brought the number of Athens cases to 31, including 11 medal winners and three gold medallists.

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