10 Shocking Controversies Surrounding the Paris Olympics

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The Olympics are meant to unite the world — but not without drama. Welcome to watchmojo.world, where today we’re breaking down the biggest controversies and conflicts surrounding the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.  From international disputes to environmental concerns and organizational chaos, this countdown covers the scandals making headlines before the games even begin. Expect everything from the Canada Women’s Soccer drone scandal to the World Aquatics and Athletics ban drama, and yes — anything and everything involving the Seine River.  These stories have cast a long shadow over one of the world’s biggest sporting events.   Which Paris 2024 controversy shocked you the most? Sound off in the comments below!

Transcript

00:00This is an unfair and discriminatory decision against our athletes.

00:04Around the world, we can all see and know very well that there are many different conflicts going on.

00:10Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the concerns,

00:14conflicts and controversies that have cast a long shadow over the 2024 Summer Olympics.

00:19Testosterone is not a perfect test.

00:22Many women can have testosterone which is in what would be called male levels.

00:27Number 10. Canada Women's Soccer Drone Scandal

00:31It feels incredible. I mean, it's been a hard couple days, but right now all I'm feeling is an immense amount of pride.

00:41Sometimes when you pull on a loose thread, the whole sweater comes undone.

00:45That's sort of what happened in the case of the Canada Women's Soccer Team.

00:49Scheduled to play New Zealand on July 25th, a major wrench was thrown into those plans

00:53when a Canadian-operated drone was spotted observing their rivals practicing a few days ahead of the match.

00:58Bev Priestman asked HR about how to handle the fact that an analyst was uncomfortable cheating.

01:05She mentioned that the top 10 teams in the world do it.

01:08It is forbidden to use drones for recording others without their consent in France.

01:12Before long, those involved with the scandal faced a one-year ban from the sport,

01:17along with a host of other consequences for Canada.

01:19Number 9. Olympic Village Conditions

01:23Even the Olympians themselves were not immune to the chaotic spirit

01:26that seemed to surround this iteration of the Summer Games.

01:29Although a futuristic water-based cooling system was proposed as an alternative to air conditioning,

01:34it quickly became clear that more intense measures would be required

01:37in what is reportedly the hottest games ever on record.

01:40Our short-term responsibility to give to high-performance athletes

01:45the best condition in order to perform.

01:48And that's the reason why we've offered them the opportunity to rent a temporary AC.

01:53As the temperature rose, though, the organizing committee acquiesced

01:56to providing athletes with air conditioners for a price.

01:59This created a clash of classes, so to speak.

02:02Critics deemed the system unfair to participating countries

02:05who were unable to afford the extra cost.

02:08Number 8. The Last Supper

02:09In a general sense, Olympics opening ceremonies are meant to not only celebrate

02:21that year's host country and what their unique culture has to offer the Games,

02:25but the Games themselves, as well as participating athletes.

02:28In 2024, though, these sentiments were overshadowed by culture war fallout.

02:33Festivité, one segment of the opening ceremony which featured drag queens

02:37in a scene reminiscent of da Vinci's The Last Supper,

02:39came under heavy fire from France's right wing.

02:42The Bishop's Conference of France referred to Festivité as a, quote,

02:45derision and mockery of Christianity.

02:47The Paris 2024 organizing committee defended the segment,

03:01and Barbara Butch, who appeared in the scene,

03:03is reported to have contacted French legal authorities

03:06in response to the online hate campaign.

03:17Number 7. World Aquatics Athletics Ban.

03:29This is by far the toughest restriction against transgender athletes.

03:33Swimming's international governing board saying they consulted with scientists

03:36and policymakers and voted to essentially ban trans swimmers

03:39from elite competitions, including the Olympics.

03:41Historically a thorny, contentious issue in the world of sport,

03:45controversy inevitably followed when, in 2022,

03:49World Aquatics forbade the participation of transgender women.

03:52In 2023, World Athletics followed suit.

03:55Writing for Science, a peer-reviewed journal,

03:58researchers Eric Villain and Joanna Harper found that trans women

04:01bore demonstrably little physical advantage over their cisgender peers.

04:05There's a lot of factors that go into a race and how well you do,

04:11and the biggest change for me is that I'm happy.

04:16In addition, they stated that the organizations had bowed to social pressure

04:19without taking science into account.

04:22Further criticism was directed towards wording which prohibited cisgender women

04:25with disorders of sex development from competing.

04:28In March 2024, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe declared that the ban was, quote,

04:33here to stay.

04:35Obviously, issues related to body size, airway size, hand size, foot size,

04:40perhaps bone density, and so forth.

04:42But I think the main thing is just the interactions of exercise training and skeletal muscle.

04:47Number 6. Chinese Doping Scandal

04:49This controversy was a holdover from the 2020 Summer Games,

04:54wherein testing revealed that over 20 members of the Chinese swimming team

04:58were confirmed to have used performance-enhancing drugs.

05:00Despite this, the athletes did not face repercussions and even won medals that year.

05:06That wasn't the end of it.

05:0711 of those that tested positive were once again selected to the Olympic team that year.

05:12This scandal developed into an ongoing feud between the World Anti-Doping Agency

05:16and its American counterpart, with each accusing the other of sinister cover-ups.

05:21Number 5. The Participation of Steven van de Velde

05:24The Dutch Olympic Committee found itself stranded in scalding hot water

05:29for its selection of Steven van de Velde in beach volleyball.

05:31Van de Velde is a convicted sex offender, reportedly grooming a young British girl,

05:36plying her with alcohol, and taking advantage of her.

05:39Found guilty on three such counts, the judge who handed out the sentencing called it a, quote,

05:44career end for van de Velde.

05:45Clearly, that did not end up being the case.

05:47The Dutch Volleyball Federation defended van de Velde, referring to him as being totally reformed

05:52and, quote, an exemplary professional and human being.

05:56As a means of mitigating the controversy,

05:58it was announced that van de Velde would be accommodated separately from other Dutch Olympians.

06:03Number 4. Argentina vs. Morocco

06:06It seems fair to say that team sports have the tendency to cause flared tempers and hurt pride.

06:12The men's football opening match was a testament to this.

06:15The riotous outbreak stemmed from a feeling that Argentina's team was being given an unfair advantage to win the match.

06:21In this case, 15 extra minutes of stoppage time.

06:25When Argentina scored in the 16th minute, Morocco fans made their displeasure known,

06:30storming the pitch and causing a general disturbance.

06:32The game resumed behind closed doors, with Morocco winning after the contentious goal was disqualified.

06:39Number 3. French Secularism Policies

06:41And that's a very delicate way of putting what's long been a source of tension in modern-day French society.

06:59In line with the aforementioned policies,

07:01athletes representing France are forbidden from wearing religious garments while competing,

07:05per the French National Olympic and Sports Committee.

07:07France has had a globally notorious reputation for strictness

07:17when it comes specifically to wearing the hijab publicly,

07:20and that was no less apparent at this year's Games.

07:23French sprinter Soukambasila claimed to have been blacklisted from the opening ceremony

07:27on account of her religious beliefs and commitment to the hijab.

07:30Number 2. Anything Involving the Seine

07:45If I was an athlete and it was said it was dangerous today,

07:49it would be hard to have confidence it would be safe suddenly 24 hours later.

07:53But we are taking care of that.

07:57Maybe 2024 wasn't the best year to try something new.

08:00The Seine, one of France's defining features,

08:03isn't exactly renowned for its sparkling, pristine waters.

08:06In fact, it's quite the opposite.

08:08Intended to host the men's and women's marathon swimming,

08:11overwhelming bacteria levels led to concerns as to the health,

08:15hygiene, and general sanitary state of participating athletes.

08:18Do you apologize to all the competitors who have been disrupted?

08:22Yes, of course. I mean, well, we don't feel that someone in this case has pain.

08:32While organizers were optimistic that clear skies and the sun's UV rays

08:36would drastically reduce the risk,

08:37high levels of bacteria such as E. coli forced significant delays and a number of postponements.

08:43That's not even mentioning that this was the first year the opening ceremony would be held on a river,

08:47bringing with it unprecedented safety and security concerns.

08:51What is dangerous is that when you have sewage that, you know, overflows into the river,

08:56you get all the pathogens.

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09:14Number one, nations at war.

09:16This is an unfair and discriminatory decision against our athletes.

09:21Around the world, we can all see and know very well that there are many different conflicts going on.

09:27The Olympics often act as a lightning rod for hot-button political issues.

09:31In 2024, it was immediately clear that the participation of Israel and Russia,

09:36two countries involved in devastating ongoing humanitarian conflicts,

09:39would be an inescapable topic.

09:41The International Olympic Committee has recognized the state of Palestine since 1995,

09:47and after more than nine months of war in Gaza,

09:49it has sent one of the smallest teams to the Games in Paris.

09:52Pro-Palestinian protests were frequently noted at games involving Israeli teams,

09:57such as at the Israel vs. Mali opening football match.

10:00Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete as individual neutral athletes,

10:05unassociated with a country, a move that has been described as controversial.

10:09Critics have chastised Russia's so-called special treatment by the IOC,

10:13despite its frequent violations of the Olympic truce.

10:16I was very bitter because I've been working towards the Olympics all my life.

10:20It's the highest award in my sport.

10:22I was climbing the mountain and was pushed on.

10:25Which 2024 Summer Olympics moment shocked you the most?

10:28Let us know in the comments.

10:30As Canadians, we're going to be made fun of that not only did you cheat,

10:32you politely asked for permission via email.

10:35Did you enjoy this video?

10:37Check out these other clips from WatchMojo,

10:39and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

10:46Bye!

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