The Olympics is meant to impart to people of all nationalities the spirit of fair play, global unity, and serious bragging rights. Despite these lofty goals, many less-than-amicable events mar the games, in and out of athletic arenas.
On top of the laundry list of cheating scandals, the Olympics has a long history of criminal activity affecting athletes, spectators, and local citizens.
Most of what occurs is dollar-store crimes like petty theft and vandalism. Hungry pedestrians might swipe a snack off street stalls or mistake the bushes for a public bathroom. Other offenses would fit within the panels of a comic strip, such as hitchhiking to victory in an Olympic marathon.
Paris law enforcement has already intercepted four potential threats, but this year is far from the shadiest. It's time to dive into Olympic history's most controversial and criminal years.
Historical Overview of Petty Crimes During Events
The Olympics sees thousands of young athletes flooding in. As if scheduled for the event, every Olympics sees athletes routinely encounter cultural or legal problems that overshadow the competition for a while.
However, not all incidents are ignorant accidents. Competitors are…competitive. The extreme drive to win will inevitably lead to cheating scandals, which have plagued the Olympics since its return in 1896 Athens.
Even the anti-doping agency has given up on keeping athletes completely clean. However, some years are more egregious than others.
The 1904 St. Louis Olympics
Held in St. Louis, US, the 1904 Olympics was shoddily tacked onto that year's World Fair. The athletes became a sideshow to the more established event, causing the Olympics to adopt a more circus-like atmosphere than what a modern spectator may expect.
Rules and ethics committees were also nearly non-existent, and the game's prestige hadn't been ingrained into its identity. All these factors contributed to Olympic history's most chaotic and absurdly criminal event.
The 1904 Olympic marathon was a proud collection of petty theft, chemical doping, and a 24.85-mile course that almost bled a man to death. The event was also used for human experimental testing, but that wasn't explicitly illegal in this scenario.
The first cheat occurred early in the race. Fred Lorz, the almost marathon winner, hopped in a car nine miles into the race. The American was ferried for 11 miles, nearly half the total distance, before getting out and running to the finish line.
Lorz was disqualified at the podium moments before receiving his award and would later pass off the incident as a joke.
Félix Carvajal committed the first legitimate crime. The Cuban runner grew hungry during the race and stole two peaches from a passing car. He later lifted rotten apples from an orchard and was forced to nap due to stomach cramps.
Amazingly, these delays only pushed him into fourth place out of fourteen finishers.
This marathon included other crimes and rules infractions based on today's standards. However, the loose rules of the third Olympic era didn't take issue with drinking poison stimulants or purposefully dehydrating the runners.
While Lorz hitched a ride in a car, the official winner, Thomas Hicks, fueled his body with egg whites, brandy, and the stimulant, strychnine. It didn't help that the event organizers had put the only water supply 12 miles into the course as a part of extreme dehydration research.
Hicks imbibed this vile concoction that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now calls a "strong poison."
Hicks hallucinated throughout the last mile, forced down more brandy and egg whites, and was carried past the finish line by his trainers. Apparently, the marathon was too unethical for the Olympics and was almost removed from the event roster.
The 1920 Antwerp Olympics
Everyone wants a souvenir from their Olympics attendance, but not as much as Hal Haig Prieste. The American diver wasn't satisfied with taking home the 1920 bronze medal, so he snatched the Olympic flag straight off the flagpole.
Prieste eventually returned the flag. He was 103 years old.
This wasn't just any old flag. The stolen artifact is now an indescribably recognizable monument: the five-interlocking-ring Olympic flag. Prieste, a mischievous man in his early 20s, stole this piece of history as a prank.
The flag's location remained a mystery for 80 years until the 1997 Olympic Committee awards dinner. A reporter mentioned that someone had stolen the original flag, prompting Prieste to return it at the next International Olympic Committee meeting.
Of course, nobody would charge the oldest living Olympian at the time of petty theft. The flag was returned in shockingly good condition and is currently on display at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The 1998 Nagano and 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics
The International Olympic Committee decides on Olympic host nations by majority vote. The process takes precautions to avoid members' biases toward their home countries, but that isn't enough in many cases.
In 1998, Salt Lake City won the 2002 Winter Olympic bid. It only took a year for people to uncover that the city had bribed top IOC members for their vote. While the host city didn't change, several IOC members resigned or were prosecuted for corruption.
The incident induced sweeping reform in the Olympic bidding process and cast a negative light on past winning bids.
Many believed that Salt Lake City's extravagant gifting came from losing the previous bid for the 1998 Winter Olympics. Nagano, Japan, won the vote by sending gifts, booking hotel rooms, and hosting parties for IOC members. It's estimated that the city spent $14 million to secure the winning bid.
Some IOC members have stated that such perks were expected when visiting potential host cities, causing the entire bidding process to be reworked.
Types of Petty Crimes Observed
The Olympics causes the population of its host city to balloon with millions of foreign visitors. Walkways, restaurants, and local attractions become overcrowded, becoming the ideal hunting grounds for petty criminals.
Crimes like Wi-Fi fraud and pickpocketing become significantly easier to pull off. They're even more disastrous if the thief gets away with a passport or other travel documents.
Ticketing Fraud
Ticketing fraud occurs when someone sells a fake or otherwise compromised ticket to another person. Highly anticipated events like the Olympics are significant for ticket scams. People are desperate for entry into specific events and allow that desire to cloud their judgment.
The Olympics involve more than sporting events. There are countless closed-door parties and celebrations around the city, which allows people to scam tourists with fake tickets that don't have strong security measures.
Vandalism
The word vandalism conjures images of hooded figures with spray paint canisters. However, vandalism occurs when property is defaced or destroyed. Actions such as tearing down or putting up posters may be a crime in some cities.
Tourists who don't know any better might move objects or misuse tools like road scooters, leading to vandalism charges. Other times, vandalism can be a tool to make a political statement.
Theft and Pickpocketing
Tourists, big crowds, and busy people are a thief's dream. Huge events are notorious for upticks in pickpocketing, and tourists have much to lose. Passports and limited travel funds can quickly end an exciting trip.
Pickpockets often work in groups, with one party distracting the target while the others execute the theft. Someone could ask for directions, start a fight nearby, or advertise a charity to take your focus off your luggage.
Spectators should also exercise extreme caution when using public transportation with strangers. It's best to ride alone and only with a reputable ride service when possible.
Unauthorized Vendors
Olympics marketing is a gold mine. The 2002 Winter Olympics generated $500 million in licensed product sales, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics estimated $100 million in profits.
The high interest in official products leads many independent vendors to create counterfeit products. Apparel, flags, megaphones, and many other branded objects appear on the streets at considerable markdowns.
Many countries outlaw the selling AND buying of counterfeit goods. Governments don't want people supporting unlawful vendors because it harms legitimate enterprises. It's also illegal to bring counterfeit products into the US on the return trip.
Statistical Data on Petty Crimes
The 2010 Vancouver Olympics saw an increase in violent crimes such as assaults and robberies, according to police. These altercations were typically accompanied by alcohol, occurring between individuals during an argument.
Rio de Janeiro's excessive spending for the 2016 Olympics left the city broke for a long time. The city's inability to support its economy allowed criminal operations to return to poor neighborhoods, leading to a 50 percent increase in petty crime compared to the previous year.
Scotland Yard in the UK also predicted an uptick in pickpocketing leading into the games. The country experienced a 17 percent increase in petty theft in the prior two years and caught intelligence that Eastern Europe—and South American-based gangs were planning to visit specifically for the event.
One caveat on crime reports during the Olympics is that foreign visitors are far less likely to report crimes. They are more unfamiliar with the language and less comfortable with local law enforcement. They may also not know they're being taken advantage of by false taxi meters or scam artists.
Case Studies of Notable Incidents
2016 Gas Station Vandalism
A vandalism case at a gas station restroom temporarily shook up the 2016 Rio Olympics. Four US swimmers were accused of extensive vandalism of a mirror, framed poster, and soap dispenser in the facilities.
However, primary witnesses have said they only understood the vandalism about a poster.
The athletes attempted to leave the area without providing compensation but were stopped at gunpoint by security guards. The confrontation garnered international attention due to the use of excessive force for a petty crime.
It was later revealed that the athlete's testimony had left out infractions of public urination, but this information was not in the police report either. This means that public urination did not affect the security guard's decision to pull their weapons.
The officer's defense argued that the athlete's superior physical shape and perturbed attitude made the swimmers a credible threat. The lawyer also noted that no shots were fired.
The altercation ended with one of the athletes, Ryan Lochte, paying a $10,000 fine. None of the team members involved were prevented from competing.
Paris Train Fires
As an international event, the Olympics are a great place to get some attention. The current Paris Olympics started the festivities off with several fires on high-speed train routes. The vandalism led to hours of delays, disrupting the torch ceremony and leaving 800,000 spectators stuck in traffic.
The investigation is ongoing, but some speculate that the coordinated vandalism was part of a political attack by the extreme right. Security forces had previously detained a potential threat to the games, and the disruption could be seen as a failure of the current centrist leadership.
Impact on Organizers and Security Measures
Hosting the Olympics has considerable costs. Athlete accommodations, steroid testing, stadium construction, and many other expenses eat away at national budgets. However, one of the most important costs is a massive security detail.
The Olympics are a time to prove your country to a global community. Hosting a successful Olympics shows strong infrastructure and economy, raising a country's status as an international partner. Nothing screams incompetent more than letting too many foreign visitors get robbed…or worse.
However, administrations must be cautious to ensure they can fund such massive competition.
Rio de Janeiro spent over $13 billion on the 2016 Summer Olympics. A substantial chunk of this budget went toward securing the city with 85,000 officers to prevent gang violence and drug distribution to tourists.
These security increases were not permanent. Most of the force came from private security, which disappeared once the Olympics ended. The astronomical cost of hosting the Olympics left little money to maintain law enforcement, opening the door to greater criminal control.
Similarly, the London Olympics negatively impacted the number of solved crimes in 2012 and 2013. Crime solved fell by roughly 14 percent, which the county's Police and Crime Commissioner attributed to the Olympics.
His statement pointed out that resources generally used for "policing activities" were diverted to other areas to support the games.
More successful, longer-lasting preemptive measures have been taken for the Olympics. Paris rounded up renowned pickpocketing gangs targeting tourists in transport vehicles. These groups were openly secret but weren't prioritized until the upcoming Olympics forced the city's hand.
