Some scholars are not sure what to believe
London 2012 was the stage of bizarre scene. A Chinese women's badminton team started to play to lose against a South Korean team in the group stage.
This was because if they lost that game, they wouldn't have to face another Chinese team until the final. This way China could win gold and silver.
Things got really weird when the South Korean team realized what the Chinese were doing and also started playing poorly. In the end, four teams were disqualified.
Soviet pentathlete Boris Onischenko won gold at the 1972 Olympics in Munich and wanted to repeat the feat at Montreal 1976. Though this time, he had a trick up his sleeve—literally.
Things became a bit weird when all of a sudden Onischenko managed to score a point without hitting his opponent during the fencing event.
It turns out his épée (fencing sword) had been rewired and he could trigger the scoring system at his will. The Russian athlete was disqualified. He was dubbed "Disonischenko" and "Boris the Cheat" by the media.
Puerto Rican athlete Madeline de Jesus had qualified for the long jump and the 4x400 relay at the1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
However, she got injured during the long jump, so competing in the relay would be impossible...if it wasn't for her twin sister!
Madeline de Jesus' twin sister, Margaret de Jesus. stepped in. After all, the only noticeable difference between the two was a beauty mark on the cheek. A journalist eventually spotted the cheat.
The Spanish Paralympic basketball team made headlines during the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Athletes with mental handicaps can also compete in the Paralympic games, so that's what they did. Except they didn't have any. They won gold.
The team (not pictured) was essentially composed of 12 semi-professional basketball players, none of which had a mental disability.
The fraudsters (not pictured) were not trialed until 2013. Fernando Martín Vicente, former president of Spain’s Federation for Mentally Disabled Sports (FEDDI), was found guilty and fined €5,400 (about US$6,750 adjusted for inflation). He also had to return the almost €150,000 (about $200,000) in government subsidies the federation had received.
Tug-of-war was one of the sports at the 1908 London Olympic Games. But how can one cheat in this game?
A team of police officers from Liverpool had the answer: really heavy shoes! They could barely walk, so the cheat was easily spotted.
Remarkably, the judges found the team (pictured) didn't break the rules, which only prohibited the use of shoes with protruding nails.
The East German women's luge team were disqualified from the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. The reason? They were caught taking a blow torch to their luge's runners just before a race.
The bronze medalist at the marathon of the 1896 Olympics in Athens had extra help to get him to the finishing line before other athletes. Spiridon Belokas hitched a ride from a carriage!
And during the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri, the same thing happened. Though this time, it was a car! American runner Fred Lorz got a lift from his manager. He won the marathon, but was soon outed by spectators who saw what happened.
China's gymnastics team had their medals revoked after it was discovered that Fangxiao Dong was 14 when she competed in Sydney 2000, instead of the minimum age of 16.
During the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, it was no different. Though the girls' passports said they were 16, other records said they were 14.
Swedish equestrian Bertil Sandström was caught using clicking sounds to motivate his horse, which was not allowed. As a result, he was demoted to last at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932.
During the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, American boxer Jack Egan was caught fighting under a fake name. Egan's real name was Frank Joseph Floyd. He was disqualified and stripped of his silver and bronze medals. It's not quite clear why he used an assumed name, but it went against the rules.
Swedish pentathlete Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall was quite the successful Olympian from 1964 to 1968. But then anti-doping control was introduced.
Liljenwall reportedly liked to have two beers before the shooting event, just to steady his nerves. Unfortunately, alcohol was a banned substance, so he was disqualified. Not quite a serious doping offense, but those were the rules.
Doping scandals are abundant in Olympic history, and animals are unfortunately no exception.
This was the case during the 2004 Athens Olympics, where one of the horses in the show jumping competition, Waterford Crystal, tested positive for banned substances. Irish rider Cian O'Connor had to give up his gold medal.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, four horses (and their riders) representing Norway, Brazil, Ireland, and Germany tested positive for an illegal substance.
Sources: (Grunge) (Topend Sports)
Browse through the following gallery and learn all about the tricks Olympic athletes used to win.
The most notorious Olympic cheats (other than doping)
These athletes tried to win at all costs
LIFESTYLE Olympic games
Controversy has been part of the Olympic Games for almost as long as we can remember. From shocking doping scandals to physical assault (remember Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding?), every year there seems to be something less positive about the games. Athletes do their best for a chance at a medal, but sometimes their best isn't good enough, so they resort to tricks to grab a place on the podium. Though many times they get caught.
Browse through the following gallery and learn all about the tricks Olympic athletes used to win.