2024 Olympics scandals: Indian wrestler disqualified amid controversial weight issue, Seine River problems continue, and a gender scandal is put to rest (2024)

The Olympics are never short on controversy and scandal, and Paris has been no different so far. From opening ceremony shenanigans, to polluted water, Team Canada drone-spying, sexist remarks by commentators, and hijab bans, here are the stories that are stealing headlines at the 2024 Paris Olympics for all the wrong reasons.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif defies all odds to win Olympics gold amid gender controversy

Imane Khelif, the Algerian at the centre of the controversial gender row, is officially a gold medal winner after beating Chinese opponent Yang Liu in the 66kg women’s boxing finals on Friday, Aug. 09.

The 25-year-old, who won on all the judges' scorecards, was under scrutiny over a failed gender eligibility test at the 2023 World Championships where reports indicated elevated testosterone levels, sparking speculation about her biological gender.

However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stood by Khelif, confirming her eligibility to compete in the women’s division based on current regulations.

Khelif’s victory early in the Olympic boxing competition over Italian Angela Carini, a bout that ended in just 46 seconds, intensified the debate, with Carini expressing shock at the power behind Khelif’s punches but refraining from commenting on the eligibility issue. “I have never been hit so hard in my life. It’s up to the IOC to judge,” Carini stated post-match.

The IOC’s spokesperson, Mark Adams, emphasized that testosterone levels alone do not define gender eligibility and that Khelif has consistently competed and won in the women’s category. He asserted that the eligibility rules were adhered to, allowing Khelif to proceed to the semifinals where she fought Thai boxer Janjaem Suwannapheng on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Khelif is a woman who reportedly has differences of sexual development known as DSDs, which is not the same as being transgender or identifying as intersex, according to a Fact Sheet released by GLAAD and InterACT online.

A few days after kickstarting the controversy, Carini apologized for not shaking Khelif's hand post fight and said she felt sorry for all the backlash the Algerian fighter continues to endure. Meanwhile, Khelif called for an end to "bullying athletes" and expressed her commitment to her goal of winning gold, despite the controversy. The Algerian Olympic Committee has defended her, condemning what they described as “baseless propaganda” aimed at undermining her career.

Khelif beat Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in the Aug. 6 semifinal at Roland-Garros Stadium before becoming the ultimate champion. She locked her gold in a dominant win over China's Yang Liu, scoring in unanimous fashion to bag the Women's Welterweight Championship.

Her win came amid discussions around her case underscoring the complexities of gender eligibility in sports. The outcome of her matches lead up to the final, and beyond, kept both her supporters and critics engaged as she achieved Olympic glory.

Court of Arbitration for Sport to announce decision on controversial disqualification of Indian wrestler

The ad-hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Paris said it will announce a decision to the appeal against Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat's controversial disqualification from the Olympic final of 50kgs women's category by the end of the Olympic Games, which are scheduled to end on Aug. 11.

Phogat was contentiously disqualified from the tournament following her semifinal win over Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez because she was deemed overweight in the 50kgs category.

In her support, Olympic gold medallist and six-time world champion Jordan Burroughs called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to medal Phogat regardless of her being removed from the tournament.

The 29-year-old was set to face American Sarah Hildebrandt for a shot at gold in the final of women's 50kg at the Paris Olympics. However, she failed her final weight check, being 100 grams overweight, despite her best efforts to shed the 2.7kg gained to replenish the energy she lost on Tuesday.

"Want to know how small that is?," Burroughs posted on X as he listed a couple of household items for his followers to be better able to draw a fair comparison.

Burroughs went on to propose a list of rule changes for United World Wrestling — the international governing body for the sport — while also calling for Phogat to be awarded a silver medal instead of an outright disqualification from the tournament.

Phogat, who was forced to leave Paris without a medal, did all she and her team could to shed off the extra weight, including limiting food and water intake to cutting off her hair.

"Typically, you require some amount of time for that. But unfortunately, we didn't have too much time. We had just 12 hours. So the whole night, the entire team, went ahead with this whole process of trying to reduce her weight, putting her in a steam and sauna, making her exercise and whatever was medically possible," Indian team's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala told reporters in Paris.

Per India Today, Phogat eventually fainted because of dehydration after the unsuccessful weigh-in, resulting in her having to be hospitalized.

Phogat's fans back home, who had been cheering her on to get India's first gold at the Paris Olympics, were outraged after discovering one of their major hopes at securing ultimate glory had been squashed.

However, despite having their hearts broken, Indians were quick to rally behind the 29-year-old who had been a key face of anti-sexual harassment protests in recent years and was dubbed the "lioness of India."

In early 2023, Phogat, along with fellow wrestlers, publicly accused the president of the Wrestling Federation of India of sexual harassment. The allegations sparked widespread protests, drawing attention to the issue of sexual harassment in sports. Phogat and other athletes organized sit-ins and demonstrations in New Delhi, demanding Singh's resignation and a thorough investigation into the allegations.

Their protests gained significant support from the public and fellow athletes, highlighting the systemic issues of abuse and the need for safer environments for female athletes. Phogat's leadership and bravery in speaking out against such powerful figures were instrumental in galvanizing the movement.

Swimmers chug Coca-Cola to fight bacteria from contaminated Seine River, which continues to cause headaches despite $1.5-billion clean-up

Swimming athletes seem to be ready to go to any extent in order to prevent them from falling sick after training in the French capital's Seine River, which raised concerns about its previously unsafe levels of E. coli.

Multiple athletes reportedly drank Coca-Cola at the finish line to avoid infection from bacteria in the water.

The fate of open-water contests scheduled to be held at the long-polluted Seine River had been hanging in the balance after triathletes who previously swam in the river fell sick, raising more concerns over water quality.

The Belgian Olympic Committee announced Sunday, Aug. 4, that the country had withdrawn from the mixed relay triathlon at the 2024 Paris Olympics following a health scare involving one of its athletes.

Claire Michel, the Belgian swimmer who competed in the Seine River, fell ill shortly after the event. Despite initial hopes for recovery, the team decided to pull out to ensure the athlete’s well-being and avoid risking further complications. The decision comes as a blow to Belgium’s triathlon hopes, as the mixed relay is a key event in the competition.

Additionally, Switzerland was forced to rework their mixed-relay roster more than once after two Swiss athletes were affected by gastrointestinal infections. One of them had competed in the men's individual triathlon on July 31, held in the Seine River.

Meanwhile, one Swedish female triathlete and a male triathlete from Norway also got sick after competing in their individual events in the Seine last week, according to theAssociated Press.

However, there isn't much evidence reported that directly links illnesses to Seine River's water quality — which continues to cause an inconvenience at the 2024 Olympics.

World Aquatics cancelled a test run Aug. 6 due to concerns over fluctuating bacteria levels in the waterway before deeming it safe on Aug. 7 and giving open water swimmers the go ahead to train in Seine. It provides them their only chance to familiarize themselves with the waters before the women’s and men's 10-kilometre marathon event scheduled for Thursday and Friday, respectively.

The Seine River cost Paris organizers $1.5 billion and a whole lot of stress before being deemed finally fit for competition.

Woman triathletes completed the swimming portion of the event on the morning of Wednesday, July 31, marking the first Olympic event in the Seine in 124 years. It was also the first time swimmers were allowed to (legally) swim in the much-maligned river in about a century.

In fitting fashion, it was a French woman who claimed gold in the monumental event, with Cassandre Beugrand taking top spot with a time of 1:54:55. On the men's side, It was Great Britain's Alex Yee taking gold with a time of 1:43.33, while France's Leo Bergere took bronze.

Fans, of course, had some fun with the debacle.

Tuesday, July 30, saw the organizers' worst fears come to light as City of Paris representatives, along with World Triathlon officials, were forced to postpone the men's triathlon event because the water quality in the Seine was still awful.

"Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes. The tests carried out in the Seine [Tuesday] revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held," the joint statement read, in part.

Heavy rain leading up to the Olympics reportedly increased pollution levels and sped up the current, rendering the water unsafe for swimming. Olympic organizers said they were "confident" the swimming portion of both the men's and women's triathlon events would not be affected with the men set to begin July 30 and the women set to hit the water the next day. That, however, was always far from a guarantee.

Paris spent a whopping $1.5 billion ahead of these Olympics to clean and treat the water for the triathlon and marathon swimming events, but heavy downpours over the weeks and days ahead of the 2024 Games had caused bacteria levels to spike once again.

'Blatant' and 'gut-wrenching': Swimming fans divided over controversial disqualification of American Alex Walsh in 200m IM

At the Paris Olympics, Australian Kaylee McKeown's bronze medal in the women’s 200-metre individual medley was shrouded in controversy following the disqualification of American swimmer Alex Walsh.

Walsh finished third before being disqualified for an inappropriate manoeuvre during the race that stemmed from a disputed interpretation of her butterfly-to-backstroke transition, which some observers felt was a dubious call.

Walsh had been leading with a commanding performance and looked to finish atop the podium up until the last 25 metres, when Canada’s Summer McIntosh and fellow American Kate Douglass caught up to take gold and silver, respectively.

McKeown, who was in contention but not leading, delivered an impressive race en route to a fourth-place finish. She would eventually be given the bronze medal following Walsh's controversial disqualification.

The situation sparked a debate among fans, with a range of opinions over the fairness of the decision and its impact on the outcome of the event. Some fans argued whether Walsh's disqualification was valid, while others defended the officials' adherence to the rules.

Walsh’s younger sister, Gretchen, is also competing in the Paris Games. She won gold in the 4x100-metre mixed medley relay, as well as silver in the 100-metre butterfly and the 4x100-metre freestyle relay.

The French association of women sports journalists, as well as the union of sports journalists in France, have openly condemned the sexist remarks made by a commentator during a women’s tennis match in Paris.

At some point during the match, an RMC radio announcer blurted out: “On the left, there’s Sara Errani, who’s the boss. She does everything: the washing up, the cooking, the mopping up.”

A joint statement from both unions condemned the remarks, stating that "sexist and misogynistic comments have no place in an international competition," while recalling the sanctions handed down to Eurosport's Bob Ballard earlier during the Summer Games.

Just a few days before the RMC announcer's controversial commentary, Ballard was removed from Eurosport’s Olympic coverage after the former BBC reporter made inappropriate comments during the broadcast of the women’s 4x100-metre freestyle relay final.

Immediately after the Australian team won the gold medal and were leaving the pool deck, Ballard said the women swimmers were "finishing up" and "you know what women are like... hanging around, doing their make-up," according to a reports.

Eurosport was quick to condemn Ballard, removing him from the broadcast team immediately.

"During a segment of Eurosport’s coverage last night, commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment," Eurosport wrote in a statement. "To that end, he has been removed from our commentary roster with immediate effect."

Canada women's soccer embroiled in drone-spying controversy

The biggest sports-related controversy of Paris so far went down before the 2024 Games even began, with the Canadian women's soccer team at the centre of a drone-spying scandal that has stolen the headlines early on.

A Canadian analyst was caught flying a drone over a closed New Zealand training session ahead of their Olympic-opening match on July 25. The staffer in question was detained and eventually sent home from the Olympics after police raided the staffer's hotel room and recovered the footage.

FIFA investigations followed and eventually resulted in heavy punishments for the Canadian side, including a massive fine for Canada Soccer, one-year bans for three of Canada's coaches including head coach Bev Priestman, and a six-point deduction to be implemented during the group stage of this Olympic women's soccer competition.

Priestman, in a statement released through her lawyer, apologized "from the bottom of my heart" for the impact the situation has had on Canada's players. She also took accountability for the scandal and said she plans to fully co-operate with the investigation. On Sunday, July 28, Canadian sports minister Carla Qualtrough said the federal government will be withholding some of Canada Soccer's funding in light of the scandal.

The Canadian Olympic Committee, along with Canada Soccer — the nation's governing body for the sport — appealed FIFA's six-point penalty over the weekend. On July 31, however, The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed Canada's appeal, meaning the six-pint deduction will stand.

"The application filed by the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer (the Applicants) in relation to the six-point deduction imposed on the Canadian women’s soccer team for the football tournament at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 has been dismissed," a statement from the CAS read.

"The Applicants sought a decision from the CAS Ad hoc Division either cancelling or reducing the points deduction imposed by the FIFA Appeal Committee in its decision of 27 July 2024 after it established that breaches of the FIFA regulations applicable to the Olympic football tournament concerning the prohibition on flying drones over training sites had occurred."

In a positive twist for the Canadian side, the team pulled off the improbable rally despite the hefty six-point deduction, defeating Colombia 1-0 on Wednesday, July 31, to finish the group stage 3-0 — finishing second in Group A and advancing to the quarterfinals. The Canadians would eventually lose to Germany in the quarterfinals.

Controversial opening ceremony imagery causes a stir

There was a lot going on during the opening ceremony, from the first-of-its-kind boat parade, to terrible weather, to Celine Dion rallying the masses with her first live performance in five years as she trudges through serious health issues.

What caused the biggest stir, however, was none of the above. During a controversial tableau, dancers and drag queens gathered around a table in a scene many believed to be eerily similar to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” painting of Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles.

Following the performance, some flooded to social media, labelling the performance “insulting to Christian people,” and a “mockery” among other things. Others celebrated the imagery as a win for inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community.

Two days later, amid the backlash, Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps apologized “if people have taken any offence” to the imagery.

“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think that (artistic director) Thomas Jolly really tried to celebrate community tolerance,” Descamps said at a press conference. “We believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence, we are really sorry.”

The opening ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, has also said that da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” portrait was not the inspiration behind the show. Jolly said he was actually inspired by Greek mythology and the Feast of Dionysus — the Greek god of wine.

“In France, we have the right to love each other, as we want and with who we want. In France, we have the right to believe or to not believe. In France, we have a lot of rights. Voila,” said Jolly.

“My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” Jolly added. “Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”

The French Catholic Church’s conference of bishops, however, lamented what it called “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity,” adding:

"Our thoughts are with all the Christians from all continents who were hurt by the outrage and provocation of certain scenes.”

Christians weren't the only only ones flocking to social media to voice their displeasure over the display, as conservative politicians, including former U.S. president Donald Trump, chimed in.

“I thought that the opening ceremony was a disgrace, actually,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, right wing French politician Marion Maréchal chimed in, adding "know that it is not France that is speaking but a left-wing minority ready for any provocation."

On Tuesday, July 30, the opening ceremony's DJ, Barbara Butch, and her lawyer told The Associated Press that she has filed a formal legal complaint alleging she's received "cyber-harassment, death threats, and insults" in the wake of her performance on Friday.

Athletes, countries speak out over France's Olympic hijab ban

Olympians from France and beyond have been vocally outraged over the country's rules prohibiting French athletes participating in certain sports from wearing the hijab or religious headscarves during the Paris Games.

French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla, who says she was told she wouldn't be allowed to participate in the opening ceremony because of her hijab, took to social media a couple days before the 2024 Olympics began to blast the country's controversial rule.

"You are selected for the Olympics, organized in your country, but you can't participate in the opening ceremony because you wear a headscarf," Sylla posted on her private Instagram account, according to various reports.

Sylla's comments were just the latest to condemn France's hijab rules, which states Olympic athletes, while competing for France, are considered civil servants and "must adhere to principles of secularism," according to ABC News.

On Sunday, July 28, Australian boxer Tina Rahimi spoke out against France’s hijab ban, writing on her Instagram account: “Women have the right to choose how they want to dress. With or without hijab. I choose to wear the hijab as a part of my religion and I am proud to do so."

A coalition of groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch wrote a letter to the IOC condemning the headwear ban.

“The bans imposed by the French sports authorities are discriminatory and prevent Muslim athletes who decide to wear the hijab from exercising their human right to play sport without discrimination of any kind," the letter read.

“The bans also fly in the face of the human rights requirements for host countries and the IOC Strategic Framework on Human Rights, as well as being antithetical to the fundamental principles of Olympism.”

Investigations underway over alleged racist posts, anti-Semitic displays

British women's rugby sevens player Amy Wilson-Hardy, who is under a racism investigation, sat out her team's 19-15 upset loss to China on Tuesday, July 30 — the final day of the Olympic tournament in Paris.

Team officials said Wilson-Hardy was not under suspension and that her place was taken by an injury replacement.

British publication The Independent reported on July 30 that a screen shot of what appeared to be a WhatsApp message from Wilson-Hardy appeared on Instagram, with the person posting it alleging its contents to be racist.

“The British Olympic Association has been made aware of an image published on a social media platform and is investigating the matter,” said a BOA spokesperson.

Meanwhile, a group of Pro-Palestinian activists are under investigation after they appeared to use "anti-Semitic gestures" during Israel’s national anthem ahead of a men’s soccer match against Paraguay on Saturday, July 27.

The video that surfaced Monday also showed spectators waiving Palestinian flags and shouting an indistinguishable chant. Pictures had previously circulated of the group holding two banners with the words "Genocide Olympics" scrawled across them.

"Paris 2024 strongly condemns these acts. A complaint has been lodged by Paris 2024, which is at the disposal of the authorities to assist with the investigation," read a statement from Olympic organizers.

"We obviously deplore that," said IOC spokesman Mark Adams on Tuesday. "It has no place in sport, it has no place amongst the watching fans."

This comes in light of a judoka from Tajikistan, Nurali Emomali, appeared to skip the customary post-match handshake after defeating Israeli opponent Tohar Butbul in the round of 16 on Sunday, July 28.