10 Athletes Banned from Tournaments
#10: Iran's Women's Team
At the 2010 Youth Olympics, the Iranian Women’s side was forbidden from the competition due to wearing headscarves. FIFA seemingly thought the clothing was either dangerous in the sport or had a political, religious, or personal message. From here, Iran’s football federation began discussions with FIFA to allow their various women’s teams to wear the item of clothing. So, they compromised by allowing the women to use a headscarf that didn’t cover the neck. Well, FIFA backtracked and banned hijabs once again. In 2010, the football authority blocked the women’s team from international competitions. This meant they couldn’t face Jordan to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. In 2012, FIFA did another u-turn and lifted the restriction.
#9: LIV Golfers
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In 2021, the LIV Golf tour was formed. Backed by cash from the Saudi Arabian monarchy, the competition was slated by many who pointed at the country's iffy human rights record. To dabble in a bit of sports washing, the tour began offering pro golfers piles of money to compete in 2022. According to Tiger Woods, who turned down the deal, he was offered an incentive in the high nine figures. However, several big names in the golfing world signed the dotted line, like Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel, and Dustin Johnson. Well, the PGA Tour didn’t like this one bit. They immediately suspended any golfers that agreed to participate in the LIV competition from their tour events and even the Presidents Cup.
#8: Roger Brown
Imagine being barred from a whole league just for knowing someone that had done something shady. Well, that’s exactly the case for basketball small forward Roger Brown. While playing for the University of Dayton, Brown had been introduced to Jack Molinas, a basketball pro and known gambler. Simply for meeting the controversial figure, Brown was prohibited from playing in the NCAA and NBA. Fortunately, he was able to play in the ABA and Brown soon made a legendary name for himself for teams like the Indiana Pacers and Utah Stars, becoming a four-time All-Star along the way.
#7: English Football Clubs
What should have been a celebration of their teams’ achievements, turned into a disaster in moments. In 1985, Juventus and Liverpool were set to face off in the final of the European Cup at Heysel Stadium in Belgium. Before kick-off, English fans seemingly broke down a separation fence and charged at Juventus spectators. The pressure of all those people caused it to collapse. Hundreds were injured and 39 lives were lost. As a result, UEFA banned all English clubs from competing in all European competitions indefinitely. That included the European Cup, the European Cup Winners' Cup, and the UEFA Cup. It took five years until the ban was lifted. Liverpool, however, had to wait an extra year to be allowed back in.
#6: Ben Johnson
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In the 1980s, there was no one that was carrying the weight of Canadian athletic excitement and expectations more than sprinter Ben Johnson. And he repaid that faith by smashing records and grabbing gold medals. However, shortly after winning big at the 1987 World Championships and 1988 Summer Olympics, performance-enhancing substances were found in his system. After an investigation, Johnson, who admitted to doping since 1981, was stripped of his Olympic gold medal. He was then suspended for two years After making his comeback in 1991, he once again failed a test in 1993 and was banned for life. He attempted to be reinstated, but to no avail.
#5: Rob Sloan
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At the 2011 Kielder Marathon in England, avid-runner Rob Sloan managed to win a bronze medal. However, it turned out Sloan took shortcuts. Instead of doping, we mean public transport. At around the 20-mile point of the race, he got on a bus, rode it near the finish line, hopped off, and crossed the line. After the allegations came out, Sloan’s medal was taken back, and he was also banned from a host of races in Northumberland. But a year later, Sloan, in disguise and under his friend’s name, reportedly took part in the Great North Run.
#4: Shane Hmiel
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Shane Hmiel was carving out a name for himself in the NASCAR world. However, in 2005, having already flopped one drug test, he failed another, earning a second strike and an indefinite ban. But there was a silver lining. If Hmiel underwent reviews and testing, he could be reinstated. But he failed to do this once again. This time, he was banned for life from NASCAR events. Shortly after this, Hmiel got his life in order and went to rehab to get clean. He then got involved in racing various United States Auto Club events. Sadly, in 2010, Hmiel was in a horrific crash that’s left him in a wheelchair ever since.
#3: Frank Filchock
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In 1946, the NFL title game between the New York Giants and Chicago Bears was set to go ahead. However, hours before kick-off, accusations that Giants’ players had been approached by gamblers to fix the match came out. One of those players was quarterback Frank Filchock, who denied the allegations. The Giants, along with Filchock, lost the game. This only raised suspicions. However, during the trial, one of the gamblers claimed Filchock was involved in the scam. But, even with a lack of evidence, the NFL still chose to indefinitely ban the quarterback. So, Filchock went off to Canada and played football there. In 1950, his NFL blockade was lifted. After a season in the States, Filchock returned north to finish his career.
#2: Novak Djokovic
In 2022, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic was meant to take part in the Australian Open to defend his 2021 men’s singles crown. Djokovic however, was (and still is) unvaccinated. Even though Djokovic had been given an exception from the vaccine rule by tennis authorities, the country’s government had not. After some flip-flopping, Djokovic’s visa was ultimately denied entry into the country Australia, barring him from participating in the tournament. Then, the US followed suit as Djokovic was banned from playing in the Miami Open and the Indian Wells Masters. The Serbian then withdrew from the US Open. His ban in Australia was later overturned.
#1: Russia
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In 2022, Russia shocked the world by invading Ukraine. With that, the sports world watched on uncomfortably. The country’s football team was meant to take on Poland in a qualifying match for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, Poland, and several other nations, refused to take part in any competitions with Russia. To begin with, FIFA gave Russia a gentle slap on the wrist by banning international competitions within its borders and blocking them from playing under their country’s name. With outrage across the footballing realm, FIFA sighed and took more serious measures. Quite the fall from grace for Russian football since they hosted the 2018 edition of World Cup.
