Top 10 Worst Cheating Scandals in Competitions
#10: BloodGate
In a Heineken Cup quarter-final in 2009, rugby union side Harlequins were losing to Leinster. However, their fly-half Nick Evans had to be subbed after getting an injury. Then, his replacement was injured, meaning Tom Williams had to come on. But now, the team had no standout kicker. That was until Williams began bleeding from the mouth and was replaced with Evans. As it turns out, there was nothing wrong with the winger. Williams had bitten a blood capsule to make it appear as though he sustained a real injury. The Harlequins went on to lose the match. Williams was banned for four months on appeal, and the director of rugby Dean Richards was suspended for three years.
#9: Deflategate
During the 2014 AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, officials found the balls used by the former were underinflated by the league’s standards. This apparently happened on the orders of legendary quarterback Tom Brady, who denied involvement. Allegedly, he liked the football to be smaller for a better grip when throwing. After months of investigations, the NFL came down hard on the Patriots and Brady. The team was fined $1 million and docked draft picks. Meanwhile, Brady – after a successful appeal was turned over– was eventually suspended for four games in 2016.
#8: Counter-Ban
The game “Counter-Strike” can be a hotbed for gamers cheating in online play. But to do it during a live competition, with officials and cameras everywhere…well, that’s not the brightest idea. In 2018, the OpTic India team took part in the Extremesland Zowie Asia CS:GO tournament. But in their second match, something was wrong. Nikhil “Forsaken” Kumawat was way too good. So, an official went to check out his computer. They discovered the gamer had been using an aimbot to take out the opposition. He was immediately kicked from the tournament, as was OpTic India. The team dissolved due to the controversy, and Kumawat was banned from professional competitions for five years.
#7: Something Fishy
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Not even the humble sport of fishing is free of people trying to break the rules to grab some cash. In 2022, a viral video showed a peculiar incident at the Lake Erie Walleye Trail. Usually, five walleye fish will weigh around 20 pounds. Fishermen Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominsky’s collection came to a whopping 34 pounds! Officials opened up their suspicious catches and found weights had been inserted into them, increasing their weight. It immediately called into question the duo’s previous wins, racking up thousands of dollars in prize money. In October 2022, Runyan and Cominsky pleaded not guilty in court to various felonies, including attempted grand theft. At the time of writing, the case is still ongoing.
#6: Calling a Bluff
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Beyond appearing in “Survivor: Cagayan” in 2013, Garrett Adelstein has also made an impressive career as a pro poker player, collecting prizes worth tens of thousands along the way. But a “Hustler Casino Live” stream in September 2022 was a bad day in the office for him. With just him and amateur player Robbi Jade Lew left in, Adelstein went all in, and Lew called him, making the pot a massive $269,000! Statistically speaking, the pro seemed likely to win. However, Lew somehow beat his hand, leaving him stunned. Adelstein soon accused Lew of cheating. Off-camera, Lew gave Adelstein back the cash he lost, which he took as a sign of guilt. Meanwhile, Lew released her polygraph test results indicating her innocence.
#5: Chess Cheat
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In September 2022, the chess world erupted into turmoil when reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen resigned after one move against Hans Niemann in the Julius Baer Generation Cup. This, on top of a previous shock loss by the Norwegian, sparked accusations that Niemann was cheating. Chess.com soon confirmed that he had previously gotten into trouble in the past due to breaking their rules in 100 matches. There was also speculation that Niemann was using an intimate device to cheat at events. Carlsen soon publicly accused him of cheating, which Niemann denied. In response, he issued a $100 million libel lawsuit against Carlsen, Chess.com, and chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura.
#4: Shortcut Win
At the 1980 Boston Marathon, Rosie Ruiz won the women’s division in a record-smashing time of 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 56 seconds. Only, something was amiss. Ruiz was seemingly fine and not that tired at the finish line. An investigation examined photos of the race and couldn’t find her in them until near the end. Ruiz was accused of being in the crowd near the end stretch, then joined the race. She was stripped of the win as well as her result at the 1979 New York Marathon. Ruiz always denied the allegations.
#3: Dirty Dancing
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In 2022, the world of Irish dancing was embroiled in a scandal of the promiscuous kind. Allegations surfaced that competition judges had been bribed by teachers at several dancing schools to get their pupils top grades. Some teachers even offered adult favors. The Irish dancing authority, the An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha, or the CLRG, began investigating concerns from other teachers and parents when they discovered the massive corruption. Altogether there were 44 people involved, who were soon suspended by the CLRG. Since then, one of those banned has taken the dancing authority to court to contest their ban.
#2: Lie-Strong
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From surviving cancer to being the most dominant cyclist in the world, Lance Armstrong inspired many kids to get on a bike and pedal away. But then 2012, After years of rumors, the US Anti-Doping Agency announced Armstrong had been using illegal substances to get an unfair advantage. While he denied the allegations, he didn’t contest his life ban from cycling or his record being sponged after 1998. Then, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2013, he revealed that he had been indeed doping. To this day however, he doesn’t regret it…
#1: The Black Sox Scandal
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Coming into the 1919 World Series, the Chicago White Sox were the overwhelming favorites to lift the illustrious trophy over the Cincinnati Reds. Instead, the underdogs pulled off a shock win. But most concerning was the strange behavior and mistakes made by the team. After the game, allegations arose that eight White Sox players had purposely thrown the match as part of a gambling ring organized by mobster Arnold Rothstein. The players were set to earn $100,000 each for throwing the series. With inflation, that’s nearly $1.7 million today! In 1921, while several players admitted their guilt, all eight were acquitted after a court case, including legendary great “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. However, each of them received a life ban from playing professional baseball within the United States.
