Article Figures & Tables
Figures
Fuwa, the official mascot of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, is depicted here in a lantern featuring the 5 Olympic rings, which represent the 5 major regions of the world: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. At least 1 of the 5 colours of the rings — blue, yellow (appears orange in photo), black, green and red — can be found in every national flag of the world. Image by: Stringer Shanghai/Reuters
Sprinter Ben Johnson rocked Canada by testing positive for the testosterone-based anabolic steroid Stanozolol after winning the gold medal in the 100-metre dash at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Runner-up American Carl Lewis promptly expressed shock and outrage. Johnson was stripped of his medal and it was awarded to Lewis. Roughly 15 years later, it was revealed that Lewis, who won 10 Olympic medals in his career, had tested positive for banned substances 3 times in the months before the 1988 Olympics, but the US Olympic Committee covered up the findings and cleared him to compete, as they did for hundreds of other US athletes who'd been dipping into the steroid box. The parade of disgraced athletes has essentially been unabated since. Image by: Gary Hershorn/Reuters
The cynical might suggest the Olympic motto — Citius, Altius, Fortius — ought be amended by the phrase “brought to you by Big Pharma.” The latest drug of choice in the lockers of the world's athletic elite? None other than vitamin V. Image by: pinobarile / iStockphoto.com