In sports venues around the world, it is not only the stories of heroes and winners that are being written. But history also remembers the rogues who were so blinded by the vision of glory and success that they spat on the rules of fair play.
Fraud and cheats are as intrinsic to sport as a white foam cap is to a good beer. They were always here, they are still here, and they will certainly not disappear in the future. While there is not much we can write about future cheaters, there is plenty we can write about those who have cheated in the past. The following chapters feature ten athletes who are more famous for their scams than their performances.
Things needed to change with the desired success still not coming in the women’s high jump. In 1936, Germany hosted the Olympics in Berlin and among the home medal hopes was Dora Ratjen. Sadly, she came only fourth in the end and even sadder is the fact that she wasn’t even a woman; she was a man.
Whether or not this was deliberate deception remains a mystery to this day. After all, the midwives labelled Dora a woman when she was born and was raised as a girl. The error was later discovered, but then why not exploit it at the Olympics, where Adolf Hitler wanted to win as many medals as possible? Several wild theories suggest that several men competed in the women’s events in the German jersey at the time.
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