The Paris Olympics 2024 are underway, with athletes from more than 200 countries and territories participating in this global sports festival. Many may wonder why Russia is not part of the Paris Olympics. This year, Russia was banned from participating due to its ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
In 2020, the situation was different. Russia has a troubled history with the Olympics due to doping issues, which led to the nation being barred from participating in the games.
Doping has been a major issue in sports, as athletes often use performance-enhancing substances or methods to gain an unfair advantage. This has been a significant challenge across various sports. So far, athletes from more than 65 nations have been caught doping.
The history of doping in the Olympics
Doping has been a problem in sports for over 100 years. The IOC introduced drug testing in the 1960s. Swedish athlete Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall was the first to be caught doping during the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Liljenwall, a modern pentathlon competitor, used ethanol and was disqualified on the spot.
By the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a total of 366 athletes had been found guilty of doping across many sports.
Doping by athletes
Doping is commonly used in sports where performance can be significantly enhanced, particularly in events with high power or movement demands. Athletics leads with 179 athletes caught doping in track and field events, followed by weightlifting (111) and wrestling (18). Weightlifting and athletics have the highest numbers of athletes involved in doping.
| Sport | Number of Athletes |
|---|---|
| Athletics | 179 |
| Weightlifting | 111 |
| Wrestling | 18 |
| Cycling | 12 |
| Equestrian | 9 |
| Boxing | 4 |
| Rowing | 4 |
| Swimming | 4 |
| Canoeing | 3 |
| Gymnastics | 3 |
| Judo | 3 |
| Modern pentathlon | 3 |
| Volleyball | 3 |
| Baseball | 2 |
| Shooting | 2 |
| Triathlon | 2 |
| Basketball | 1 |
| Modern | 1 |
| Sailing | 1 |
| Women’s volleyball | 1 |
| Grand Total | 366 |
Countries with banned athletes due to doping
Russia tops the list with 84 athletes banned for doping. It is followed by Belarus with 26 athletes and Ukraine with 25 athletes caught in doping violations.
| Country | Athletes |
|---|---|
| Russia | 84 |
| Belarus | 26 |
| Ukraine | 25 |
| Turkey | 19 |
| United States | 18 |
| Kazakhstan | 14 |
| Greece | 11 |
| Bulgaria | 10 |
| Azerbaijan | 7 |
| Hungary | 7 |
| Moldova | 7 |
| Romania | 7 |
| Spain | 7 |
| Uzbekistan | 7 |
| Armenia | 6 |
| China | 6 |
| Poland | 6 |
| Brazil | 5 |
| Great Britain | 5 |
| Italy | 5 |
| Georgia | 4 |
| Germany | 4 |
| Sweden | 4 |
| India | 3 |
| Ireland | 3 |
| Mongolia | 3 |
| Morocco | 3 |
| Norway | 3 |
| Albania | 2 |
| Australia | 2 |
| Austria | 2 |
| Bahrain | 2 |
| Canada | 2 |
| Colombia | 2 |
| Cuba | 2 |
| Cyprus | 2 |
| Japan | 2 |
| Kenya | 2 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 2 |
| Latvia | 2 |
| Lithuania | 2 |
| Puerto Rico | 2 |
| Qatar | 2 |
| Saudi Arabia | 2 |
| Afghanistan | 1 |
| Algeria | 1 |
| Croatia | 1 |
| Czechoslovakia | 1 |
| Egypt | 1 |
| Finland | 1 |
| France | 1 |
| Iceland | 1 |
| Iran | 1 |
| Jamaica | 1 |
| Lebanon | 1 |
| Monaco | 1 |
| Myanmar | 1 |
| Netherlands | 1 |
| Nigeria | 1 |
| North Korea | 1 |
| ROC | 1 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1 |
| Slovenia | 1 |
| Switzerland | 1 |
| Syria | 1 |
| Tajikistan | 1 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1 |
| Unified Team | 1 |
| Vietnam | 1 |
| Grand Total | 366 |
Indian athletes and doping
Indian athletes have also faced doping issues. The first case occurred at the 2004 Athens Olympics, where weightlifter Pratima Kumari was caught using anabolic steroids and disqualified. Another weightlifter, Thinbaijam Sanamcha Chanu, was also found guilty of doping at the same Olympics.
The most recent case was in 2016 when wrestler Narsingh Pancham Yadav, who was set to compete in the freestyle 74 kg event, was caught doping.
| Olympics | Indian Players | Sport | Substance used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Athens | Pratima Kumari Na | Weightlifting | Anabolic steroid |
| 2004 Athens | Thinbaijam Sanamcha Chanu | Weightlifting | Furosemide |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro | Narsingh Pancham Yadav | Wrestling | Methandienone |
Comparing with China and the USA
India has had three athletes caught for doping, whereas the USA has had 18 and China has had six athletes found guilty of doping so far.
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