Each time the Olympic Games occur, the world’s attention shifts to the top athletes and their performance. Despite showcasing some of the most incredible achievements of what a human body can do, these games also bring quite a lot of cringy moments. Since the first worldwide broadcast in 1964, the Olympics have delivered both memorable and uncomfortable clips, leaving audiences talking about everything from unpleasant interviews to shattered dreams on the biggest stage.
Here are some of the most awkward Olympics moments caught on live TV.
Pole vaulter’s pole snaps in mid-air
During the 2012 Olympics, Cuban pole vaulter Lázaro Borges faced a shocking mishap when his pole shattered mid-air at 18 feet during qualifications. The moment, captured by the Daily Mail, showed shards of fiberglass flying while almost 100k spectators held their breath. Fortunately, Borges walked away unharmed but missed his chance to qualify for the finals. Interestingly, this wasn’t the first incident of its kind, as in 1988, Daley Thompson experienced a similar pole break during the decathlon. This sport truly delivers a thrilling emotional ride!
Awkward, premature victory celebration
The 2016 Rio Olympics had many fun moments, but Chinese boxer Lü Bin’s experience stands out among all of them. After a close match against Kenyan boxer Peter Warui, Bin believed he had finally defeated his opponent. But then the judges’ decision was announced, bringing the total score to 2-1. In that moment, Bin was not happy to have celebrated early. He was kind of a sore loser about it and addressed the judges’ decision, saying it stole his dream. Of course, nothing came out of it, and rather than allowing this setback to define him, Bin went pro in 2017 and claimed victory in his first professional fight with a knockout.
Little girl caught lip-syncing at the Olympics
This one’s kind of heartbreaking. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremony, Lin Miaoke, a nine-year-old singer, passionately performed “Ode to the Motherland.” Or at least that’s what she thought she was doing, as the voice coming out of the loudspeakers belonged to a different kid, who was deemed a “better singer” by the Olympics committee. Lin’s father noticed the difference almost immediately, but all he could do was stand there and watch. Chen Qigang, the musical director, explained that the decision came from high-level government officials after feedback during rehearsals.
Priest smacking into a marathon runner
At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, an Irish priest tackled Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima, causing him to lose his race and finish third. During the final event, Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima had almost a 30-second lead in the marathon, but everything changed when some guy from the crowd jumped on him, making him lose the race and finish third. The guy who tackled him was an Irish priest. He admitted that it was a terrible thing to do, especially since it was meant to be a harmless prank. Only it ended up costing the runner his laurels.
Biggest diving flop
During the 2012 London Olympics, German diver Stephan Feck became a global sensation for all the wrong reasons. He totally flubbed his dive in the men’s 3-meter springboard prelims, losing his form mid-dive and landing in a back flop in the pool. It was a total disaster, and he ended up with a score of zero from every judge. In the words of the Internet users, it was a total “Feck up.”
Weightlifter almost got crushed
Some Olympic moments are difficult to watch, and one such instance occurred in 2012 when German weightlifter Matthias Steiner attempted to lift 196 kg, but accidentally dropped the weight right on his neck. That neck was bulky but it didn’t stand a chance against the cold, hard steel. Thankfully, a miracle did happen, and he walked off the mat on his own. After some R&R, which took five months, Steiner resumed training for the European Championship. Eventually, he retired from weightlifting to run a business, STEINERtainment, with his wife, Inge.
The Olympics displayed the wrong country’s flag, delaying the event
During the 2012 Olympics in London, the North Korean women’s soccer team decided to leave the field due to the wrong flag being displayed next to their pictures on the big screen. The game against the Colombian team was delayed for an hour as the Olympic committee apologized, describing it as a “genuine mistake.” North Korea’s coach, Sin Ui Gun, emphasized that they wouldn’t continue unless the issue was resolved, stating that the players can’t be shown with other flags, especially the South Korean one.
A referee getting kicked in the face
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Cuban taekwondo fighter Ángel Matos kicked a referee in the face after being disqualified. This also resulted in a lifetime ban for him and his coach, Leudis Gonzalez, from the World Taekwondo Federation. WTF secretary general Yang Jin-suk condemned the incident as an “insult to the Olympic vision and the spirit of taekwondo.” In 2018, Matos expressed regret for his actions, and rightfully so. He reflected on the disappointment of being banned and the sacrifices he had made in his career.
Doves are getting incinerated during the opening ceremony.
Nearly 40 years ago, during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, something horrible happened that was meant to promote peace during the Cold War. The organizers decided to release a bunch of doves during the opening ceremony. On paper, this was a great idea, but in reality, it wasn’t as successful. They had timed the dove release to happen with the lighting of the Olympic torch, but then disaster struck: some of the doves got caught in the flames and tragically burned on live TV, shocking everyone watching. Until this day, it’s known as one of the worst opening ceremonies ever at a major sporting event. You can’t beat that kind of negligence these days.
