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These famous cheating scandals rocked the sports world

From Lance Armstrong's doping scandal to the Soccer Canada drone controversy, here are some of the most scandalous moments in sports history.

Updated: February 06, 2026 at 6:47AM EST

Published: January 28, 2025 at 3:48PM EST

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Sprinting steroid use

Canadian-Jamaican sprinter Ben Johnson competed twice for Canada in the Olympics: 1984 in Los Angeles and 1988 in Seoul.

Johnson won a bronze medal in 1984 in the 100-metre race. He then won the 1988 100-metre final in a time of 9.79 seconds.

Ben Johnson of Canada leads the pack as they churn to the finish of the Olympics 100-meter final, Sept. 24, 1988, in Seoul. (AP Photo/Herbert Knosowski)

Johnson returned to compete in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where he finished eighth in the 100m semi-final after stumbling out of the blocks, and was the lead-off runner for the 4x100m relay team that was disqualified in the semi-final.

, Ben Johnson, left, signals victory ahead of the United States' Carl Lewis, as he wins the 100-meter final at the Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, Sept. 25, 1988. (AP Photo/Rick Wilking, File)

The seven-time Super Bowl winner served a four-game suspension, and the Patriots were docked $1 million and two draft picks, for what the league found was a scheme to provide improperly inflated footballs for the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts on Jan 18, 2015.

Brady was found to be "at least generally aware" of the scheme.

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, right, talks to quarterback Tom Brady during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Foxborough, Mass, Nov. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Harding’s ex-husband orchestrated an attack on Kerrigan on Jan. 6, 1994 at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit, in an effort to have her unable to perform at the championships and the 1994 Olympics.

American skaters (L to R) Tonya Harding, silver; Kristi Yamaguchi, gold; and Nancy Kerrigan, bronze, display their medals after the finals of the World Figure Skating Championships in Munich, March 12, 1991. (AP Photo/Diether Endlicher)

Kerrigan was famously hit in the leg with a police baton, and withdrew from the championships. While Harding ended up winning that one, Kerrigan quickly recovered and still secured a spot on the Olympic team, winning a silver medal in the ladies single skate.

Harding was banned from competitive figure skating for life.

American figure skaters Nancy Kerrigan, left, and Tonya Harding work out during an Olympic practice session at Hamar Olympic Amphitheater in Hamar, Norway, Feb. 22, 1994. (AP Photo/Doug Mills)

Paralympics faked disabilities

One of the most famous cheating scandals in the Paralympics came from Spain’s men’s basketball team at the 2000 Sydney Games.

For the first time, the Paralympics held a basketball tournament for those with intellectual disabilities. The Spanish team crushed all its opponents and took home the championships.

Players and coaching staff of the Spanish intellectual disability basketball team celebrate their victory at the Paralympics Games in Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, October 24, 2000. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

She admitted to lying to a grand jury about never taking performance-enhancing drugs. Jones was given a six-month jail sentence for perjury.

In 2007, the IOC removed all her Olympic medals and vacated all her performances.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones cries as she addresses the media during a news conference outside the federal courthouse, Oct. 5, 2007, in White Plains, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

The eight players were acquitted in a 1921 trial but were banned for life from professional baseball, including ‘Shoeless Joe’ Jackson.

Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, rear left, is seen during the investigation of the infamous "Black Sox" scandal in Chicago. White Sox players shown are Charles "Swede" Risberg, center left, and Arnold "Chick" Gandil, next to Risberg. Others are unidentified. (AP Photo)

Underage gymnast at the Olympics

In 2010, China was stripped of a bronze medal from the 2000 Sydney Olympics for fielding an underage gymnast, with the women's team medal going to the United States instead.

Members of China's gymnastics team, from left, Yang Yilin, Li Shanshan, He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan and Deng Linlin listen to their national anthem after winning the gold medal in the women's team final competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Aug. 13, 2008 (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

The International Olympic Committee acted after investigations by the sport's governing body determined that Dong Fangxiao was only 14 at the 2000 Games. Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible.

Fangxiao Dong of China competes in the Final of the Womens Vault at the Sydney Superdome on Day Nine of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, Sept. 24, 2000. (Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport)

Dong's results from Sydney were nullified by the International Gymnastics Federation. Because her scores contributed to China winning the team bronze, FIG recommended the IOC take the medal back.

Chinese gymnasts Yang Yun, left, and Dong Fangxiao wave flowers after receiving the bronze medal in the women's gymnastic team finals at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Sept. 19, 2000. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’

One of the most controversial goals in World Cup history, the ‘Hand of God’ goal in 1986, came when Diego Maradona punched the ball into England's net during the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals.

Argentina's Diego Maradona, left, beats England goalkeeper Peter Shilton to a high ball and scores his first of two goals in a World Cup quarterfinal soccer match, in Mexico City, June 22, 1986. (AP Photo/El Grafico, Buenos Aires)

England said the ball went in off of Maradona's hand, not his head.

Maradona himself gave conflicting accounts of what had happened over the years, at one point attributing the goal to divine intervention, to “the hand of God.”

An Argentine fan wearing a Maradona mask holds a stuffed glove reading in Spanish "The hand of God" prior to the World Cup group B soccer match between Argentina and Nigeria at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Head coach Bev Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander, and analyst Joseph Lombardi were all sent home from the Olympics, and later banned from all soccer for one year by FIFA.

Lombardi was also given an eight-month suspended prison sentence in accordance with French drone operating laws.

Coach Bev Priestman of Canada takes photos on the pitch at Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Saint-Etienne, France. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Silvia Izquierdo)

Despite Team Canada's six-point deduction penalty, they advanced to the quarter finals where they were eliminated in a 4-2 penalties loss against Germany

New Zealand's Katie Kitching, left, and Canada's Jade Rose vie for the ball during the women's Group A soccer match between Canada and New Zealand at Geoffroy-Guichard stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Saint-Etienne, France. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Silvia Izquierdo)

U.S. Skeleton athlete accuses Team Canada of manipulation

Skeleton athlete Katie Uhlaender says she should have been going to the 2026 Olympics in Italy. As a veteran of five Winter Games from 2006 to 2022, sliding in Turin, Vancouver, Sochi, PyeongChang and Beijing, the American would have made history by competing in a sixth.

Katie Uhlaender of United States takes a curve on her third run during the women's skeleton competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

What denied her entry to the Milan-Cortina Olympics was her final qualification event in the North American Cup earlier this month at Lake Placid, where several Canadian competitors were withdrawn at the last minute.

Despite Uhlaender winning the race, the sudden reduction in the number of athletes competing had reduced the amount of qualification points available, leaving her just short.

Katie Uhlaender, of United States, finishes the women's skeleton run 2 at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Uhlaender accused the Canadian team and its coach, Joe Cecchini, of intentionally withdrawing the athletes, deliberately manipulating the field to benefit one of their own sliders’ bids for qualification.

Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton denied anything untoward. Skeleton’s governing body also dismissed Uhlaender’s complaint, but she wasn’t the only athlete to have been negatively impacted at Lake Placid and, since then, an increasing number of national teams have rallied behind her.

Katie Uhlaender, of the United States, center, greets fans after finishing her second run during a World Cup skeleton competition in Lake Placid, N.Y., Thursday, March 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)