We continue Olympic Week with a look at some famous and infamous moments in Olympics history.
7.) Tug-Of-War Actually Olympic Sport
In turn of the century Olympics, tug-of-war was an actual sport, and teams were entered by clubs, meaning you could get several teams from one country. And that's how the US won all three medals in 1904. How one gets into a tug-of-war life, complete with 6 a.m. practices and dead-eyed parents driving their kids to matches in old-school mini-vans is beyond us. But apparently there was quite enough fervor for the sport and it was included in track and field competition. Also, teams were required to have sweet old timey mustaches, complete with proper "evil-twisting" curls at each end.
Pull lads! Pull like the rise of industry has pulled our economy upwards these last few years!
Here's a list of the gold medal winners by year: Swedes/Danes in 1900; Team USA in 1904; the British in 1908; Sweden in 1912; and the British in 1920.
6.) 1972 Olympics in Munich
The Olympics were back in Germany where, according to 1900s tradition, bad things seemed to happen. But this time, it wouldn't be Germans targeting Jews, it was Palestinian violence group Black September; a name that definitely implies that some shit is going to go down when they get together...especially in September. And shit did go down. On September 4th, 1972, members of the aptly named organization snuck into the Olympic village and broke into the apartment complex housing the Israeli athletes. Wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg was alerted to the break in, and after being shot in the cheek, led the terrorists to the wrestlers and weightlifters, probably thinking the men had a better chance of fighting back against the terrorists than the track and field guys did.
After a brief scuffle, two of the Israeli's were dead. The group of terrorists and hostages were moved to an airfield, where a horribly planned counter-attack by the Germans led to the death of the remaining nine hostages and all the kidnappers the burning of a helicopter ignited when a grenade underneath it exploded.
5.) 1996 Bombing in Atlanta
73" of pure asshole.
Being advertised as an Olympics of peace and unity is actually what caused American terrorist and all-around asshole Eric Robert Rudolph to place a bomb in Atlanta's Centennial Park, according to Rudolph himself. At around midnite on July 27th, 1996, he placed three pipe bombs manufactured out of nitroglycerin and nails into a military backpack, and left them on a park bench near a heavily attended concert. Security guard Richard Jewell discovered it, and began asking people nearby if it belonged to them. When no one claimed it, he called police and began clearing the area. Rudolph phoned police from a nearby pay phone and warned them of the impending blast. When the bomb went off, 111 people were injured, and two were killed.
Alice Hawthorne was killed by a nail that struck her in the head, and cameraman Melih Uzunyol suffered a heart attack when he ran to film the explosion. Rudolph eluded the FBI for a few years, allowing Richard Jewell to take the blame from the authorities who pegged him as a "lone bomber" and asshole media outlets lambasted him until Rudolph's capture and arrest, at which point, everyone was like "Uh...Sorry, Rich."
4.) Tonya Harding Vs. Nancy Kerrigan's Knee
Most figure skating experts agree: getting hit with a lead pipe will lead to pain.
There isn't a whole lot of trailer trash in figure skating, and in 1994, Tonya Harding decided to fill that niche. Enduring an abusive childhood, Harding shunned her more likely future as the manager of a Payless Shoesource and took up figure skating. She was actually pretty good, too. And while being good is fun, it isn't nearly as fun as hiring someone to bash your teammates knee with a pipe...poorly. When Olympic trials approaced in early 1994, future teammate Nancy Kerrigan was leaving the ice after practice, when her knee was bashed by an unknown assailant at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
This guy took on Tonya Harding's hit man, and lost. But it ended up with a silver medal, so it was pretty happy.
And although it was extremely painful for Kerrigan, the ultimate goal of preventing her from skating in the 1994 Olympics was not acheived. The attacker hit her above the knee, simply bruising it, when all he really needed to do was strike the kneecap. But that's why he's a hitman and not a surgeon. US Olympic officials decided to put Kerrigan on the team without making her try out. Kerrigan ended up with the silver medal, and Harding finished in 8th place.
3.) Nazi Germany Cheats...And Fails
Almost a winner, but mostly just a prick.
1936 meant the summer Olympics, and they were held in Nazi Germany. In the 1932 Olympics, the US brought home over 100 medals, and Nazi Germany brought home a weak-sauce 21, and decided that instead of improving their own team, they would just cheat. It would be the only dirty thing the Nazi's ever did. Oh wait, that, and the other stuff. In order to bring "glory to the Reich," Nazi officials told Hermann Dora Ratjen, a dude with ambiguous genitalia, that he would be representing his country in the high jump...as a girl.
And what a glorious failure it was, instead of blitzkreiging his/her way to glory, it placed fourth, which generally means "No Medals." A short time later, some dudes spotted Hermann on a train with a skirt on, and also a respectable amount of whiskers. Not much is known what happened to Hermann Dora after that, but most people figure she turned into Madonna.
2.) 1980 Soviets Accused Of Cheating
Het! Get that glass of steroids away from me. Nah just kidding, give it here.
It's a good thing the Soviets didn't boycott the Olympic games in Lake Placid, otherwise we wouldn't have gotten to enjoy the number one crazy Olympic moment. But the United States decided to Boycott the Summer games in Moscow due to the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan, because only we're allowed to invade Middle Eastern countries. Being in their own country and excited that their arch nemesis American team wasn't around, the Soviets rigged a couple of games.
At the time, Joao de Oliviera of Brazil and Ian Campbell of Australia were considered the world's best long jumpers. After they jumped a ridiculous 57 feet or more, and then judges proclaimed that they had jumped illegally. Two of the greatest in the world made a foul? Perhaps one, but both...in the same competition? Hard to believe.
Next, several journalists remembered seeing that on the javelin toss, a Soviet athlete named Dainius Kula won the gold, despite the fact that his javelin had landed in the improper backwards position. The judges failed to disqualify the throw.
Finally, Olympic rules dictate that in certain track events, the same runner must be used in the qualifying and final rounds. The Soviets ran their best in the final round, but rested him during the qualifying rounds. They would win the gold. In that Olympics, they would walk away with five undeserved gold medals. Doesn't seem like a lot, but that means there were five athletes who were cheated out of winning the gold they rightly deserved.
1.) 1980 Miracle On Ice
The quintessential shocking moment in Olympics history, without it, no "Olympic Sports Moments List" would be complete. It's been referred to as every cliche in the book: David vs. Goliath, men vs. boys, good vs. evil, Communism vs. Democracy, and more. The Soviets were the undisputed best team in the world. They had been consistently winning hockey games in international play for 10 years, and were dominating the contests, even against the best players from the NHL. When the 1980 Olympic team was chosen, they were only allowed to select amateur players. With a combination of amateur and college players on their roster, the United States wasn't even considered a dark horse. But with extreme training tactics and determination, the US found themselves playing the Soviet Union in the semi-finals, not the gold medal game as most people believe. After being down 1-0, and fighting their way to a 3-3 tie, US Captain Mike Eruzione found himself alone in the slot. He fired a low wristshot that beat goaltender Vladimir Myshkin, and would be the game winner. Team USA would go on to beat Finland for the gold medal. Many consider the "Miracle on Ice" to be not only the greatest game in ice hockey, but the greatest moment in sports history.
Similar to how the American team felt.