18 Olympic Controversies You Totally Forgot About

The unusually violent match was the result of political tension between Hungary and the Soviet Union. After Soviet player Valentin Prokopov punched Hungarian player Ervin Zádor, giving him a nasty gash above the eye, the game became known as the "Blood in the Water" match.

American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos finished first and third, respectively, in the 200 meter dash. On the podium, they raised their fists in what Smith called a "human rights salute." "We were just human beings who saw a need to bring attention to the inequality in our country," Smith said years later. "There was nothing but a raised fist in the air and a bowed head, acknowledging the American flag — not symbolizing a hatred for it."

President Jimmy Carter announced that the U.S. would be boycotting the summer Olympic games in Moscow to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Due to funding concerns and issues of overcrowding in prisons, it was decided that the Olympic Village in Lake Placid would be converted into a prison after the games were finished. Although the idea was very unpopular with athletes and activists at the time, the site remains Federal Correctional Institution Ray Brook to this day.

This time, the Soviet Union boycotted the Olympics held in Los Angeles. They claimed it was because of security concerns, but the action was widely believed to be a response to the 1980 boycott by the U.S.

During the 1998 Winter Olympics, Surya Bonaly became the only Olympic figure skater to land a backflip on one blade. However, the move was consider illegal, and it resulted in a deduction of points. Still, she became an inspiration to skaters everywhere.

The Summer 2000 Olympics saw several of the female gymnasts struggling with their vault performances, including American Elise Ray who missed the vault entirely in her warmup. It was discovered that the vault was set a full two inches too low, and gymnasts were given the option to re-perform.

Though it wasn't discovered until much later, it turned out that Chinese gymnast Dong Fangxiao was only 14 when she competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics. To be eligible, the gymnastic athletes must turn 16 during the Olympic year. She was stripped of her bronze medal.

After allegations of collusion among the judges, two teams both ended up taking home gold: original winners Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia and Jamie Salé and David Pelletier of Canada.

The Brazilian runner was hoping to be the first one from his nation to win gold in the marathon event, and was poised to do so — until he was attacked by a spectator. The attacker was actually an Irish priest (though he was later defrocked).

The 2008 Summer Olympics has the most medals stripped for doping violations, with a total of 50 medals. Russia had the most, with a staggering 14 medals removed.

The International Olympic Committee voted not to include a women's ski jump event in the 2010 Olympics, alleging that the sport wasn't yet developed enough. Members of the Canadian Women Ski Jumping Team filed a grievance with the Canadian Human Rights Board citing gender discrimination.

Swiss soccer player Michel Morganella was expelled from the London Olympics after he posted a racist tweet about South Koreans, following his team's 2-1 loss.

Several organizations, including Human Rights Watch, called for a boycott of the Sochi Olympics due to Russia's legislation that prohibits "gay propaganda." Activists said it was unsafe for the LGBT community.

Swimmer Ryan Lochte and three other Olympic swimmers claimed that they had been robbed at gunpoint in Rio, but it turned out they had actually just been confronted by security guards for their drunk and disorderly behavior.