Biggest Olympics Scandals (2/17)
 

The Olympics isn't all fun and games. Most events have passed through a dark patch and the tournament itself has been a political arena that highlights global controversies. This gallery explores a few of these Olympics Scandals. If you share this gallery on Twitter make sure to include us @BritishPathe

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Sporting Riches
In the Ancient World winning athletes were treated like demigods, showered in riches by their hometowns they could take any woman as their wife and retire from their labouring jobs. The Modern Olympics, however, took a low view of athletes becoming too rich because wealth made professionalism viable and worked against their amateur ethos.

In 1932 the Finnish gold medalist Paavo Nurmi (pictured left) was barred from running when Swedish officials claimed that he had received too much money for his travel expenses. Nurmi was one of many athletes who occupied a grey area between amateur and professional. Was professionalism only defined by financial stability? In 1984 Michael Jordan played Olympics basketball as an "amateur" when it was apparent to all that his ability was insuperable.