Search Results for: blog athletes stripped of olympic medals part 1

North Korea Leader Kim Jong-Il Dies – Part 1

About seven years ago, I wrote an article about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, i.e. North Korea. Despite the fact that my uncle had been in the Korean conflict, I really didn’t know much about the country. After doing research for that article, I became more interested in what was going on in North Korea. I ave watched many documentaries since then and when you talk about human rights, or rather, lack thereof, you cannot ignore North Korea. North Korea is one of the most reclusive countries in the world. The rest of the world really has no way … Continue reading →

U.S. Runner Says Support of his Adopted Country and Family is “As Good as Gold”

After reading about the athlete who refused his bronze medal and declared this Olympics a failure because he’d wanted gold, and about other athletes who have been stripped of their medals, it’s refreshing to find an athlete who seems to have the true Olympic spirit and an appreciation of what’s important. Runner Lopez Lomong appears to have that spirit–toward the Olympic Games as well as toward his adopted family and country. “I came here for the pride and love of my country,” said Lomong. “I came here to try my best to represent the country and to be a great … Continue reading →

Athletes Stripped of Olympic Medals – Part 3

Here’s the final installment of Olympians stripped of their medals: At the 1984 Los Angeles Games, long distance runner Martti Sakark Vainio tested positive for steroids and lost his silver medal. Vainio claimed he thought he was getting testosterone shots instead of steroids, but allegedly, he had already tested positive for steroids at the Rotterdam Marathon earlier that year, but that information was covered up. In 1988, Canadian Ben Johnson was making a name for himself as a sprinter. He set the 100 meter world record at the 1987 championships and the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. However, the records … Continue reading →

Athletes Stripped of Olympic Medals – Part 2

In one of my last blogs, I was talking about athletes stripped of their medals by the International Olympic Committee. Most of those stripped of their medals failed drug tests. And for some reason, most of the medal removals seem to happen in summer Olympic games. For some reason, the records I found only showed four winter game athletes stripped of their medals. Full scale drug testing by the IOC started in 1972, but anabolic steroids were not banned until 1976. If you think they aren’t serious about their non-drug use policy, let’s take a look at the first athlete … Continue reading →

Olympic Diets–The Method Behind the Madness

Even if you haven’t watched a single second of the Summer Olympic Games in China you likely know the following: A.) Michael Phelps is an American swimmer. B.) Michael Phelps has won more gold medals in these games than most other countries have since the inception of the modern day Olympics. C.) Michael Phelps ingests 12,000 calories per day to fuel his daily swims. The latter fact is the one that has sparked the most attention by regular folks who try to maintain their weight (or if they are lucky, lose a few pounds) with daily workouts. While Phelps’ diet … Continue reading →

Athletes Stripped of Olympic Medals – Part 1

I cannot imagine the dedication it takes to make it to the Olympic Games, but it must come down to the fact that that sport is your entire life. So, you would think the athletes would take it very, very seriously. But, then medal winners like Ara Abrahamian let the judges decision get to them and now, not only does he not have his bronze medal from the Beijing Olympics, I feel his reputation as an athlete is tarnished. But, Abrahamian is not the first athlete to have his medal stripped by the International Olympic Committee. Yes, it is their … Continue reading →