The Olympic Games 2024 are in full flow in Paris as over 10000 athletes from around the world are looking to give it their all in top sporting events of the Summer Games. While the athletes are fighting for glory at the biggest sporting spectacle in the world, some controversies have hit the Games.
Here we discuss 5 such controversies that have hit the Paris Olympic Games:
1 - Imane Khelif and Angela Carini boxing controversy: The boxing controversy featuring Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Italian pugilist Angela Carini grabbed the attention on social media. The Italian pugilist was in tears after the bout ended in 46 seconds. Khelif was subject to criticism and was questioned over her gender.
Along with Khelif, another boxer Chinese Taipei's Lin Yu-Ting, was banned by the International Boxing Association at the 2023 World Championships. Both the boxers are part of the Paris Olympics. The IOC released a statement on the participation of these two said, "These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA".
"Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process," the statement added. "According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO.
"The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure -- especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years," it added.
2 - Canadian team drone incident: The Canadian soccer team lost it's appeal of points deduction of a drone spy. The team's assistant coaches used drones to spy on the New Zealand team's practice sessions before their opening game. They were docked six points.
"The application filed by the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer in relation to the six-point deduction imposed on the Canadian women's soccer team for the football tournament at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 has been dismissed, " the Court of Arbitration for Sport said.
3 - Fans invade Argentina vs Morocco soccer game: Another controversy which erupted in the football field came in the match between Argentina and Morocco. After Morocco were leading the World Champions 2-1, Argentina found an equalizer late into the 16th minute in the stoppage time but the Morocco fans believed Argentina scored after the end of the time.
They invaded the pitch and set pyrotechnic explosions. The game was suspended and resumed behind closed doors after two hours. Argentina's goal was disallowed due to offside and Morocco won.
4 - Seine River safety concerns: The Seine river, where the one of its kind Opening ceremony took place, also came under criticism for the water quality. The men's triathlon event was postponed due to the water quality. However, it took place on the next day as water was deemed safe before the event.
5 - Quality of food at Olympic Village: Apart from these controversies, the food quality also came under scrutiny. Athletes from countries like the Great Britain complained about the raw meat being given at the village. Reports claimed that some athletes were not getting adequate meals. As a result, some athletes started eating elsewhere, while some NOCs began calling their own chefs.
