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?
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10:46Bye!
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