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Worst Crimes Committed at the Olympic Games: The Criminal Report Daily : Investigation Discovery
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Worst Crimes Committed at the Olympic Games
August 02, 2012
By Linda Poon
If crime were a category in this year’s Olympics, who would walk away with a gold medal of infamy? Would it be the men
arrested for touting fake tickets to the games? Or the three people caught impersonating security guards to steal
tourists' money and credit cards? Perhaps, it should go to Stephen Moonesamy, a former ballet dancer arrested in early
July for tricking 75 young dancers into thinking they were going to take part in the closing ceremony.
Just days into this year’s London Olympic Games several arrests
were made. Some crimes have been fairly harmless and were
quickly resolved – like the arrest of a 17­year­old who tried to
snatch the Olympic torch – while others have everyone
fearing the worst: terrorist attacks. But not even the worst of
this year’s mishaps can compare to what we’ve seen in past
games, including hostages, bombings and physical assault.
Here is a look back at some of the most awful crimes committed
during the Olympic seasons:
2008 – During the Beijing Olympics, two American visitors were stabbed by a knife­wielding Chinese man who
then proceeded to commit suicide. Todd Bachman, who was the father­in­law of the men’s volleyball coach, died from his
wounds while his wife was sent to the hospital under critical condition.
2000 – Joe Atuhaire, a Ugandan swimmer, was charged with rape of a 17­year­old girl and was forced to leave the
Sydney Games.
1996 – Eric Rudolph became one of America’s most wanted fugitives after he placed a bomb in a crowded concert
during the Atlanta Olympics, killing two people and injuring hundreds of others. Rudolph wasn’t caught until May 2003.
1994 – During a practice session for the U.S. Figure Skating Championship, Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed in the knee
with a police baton. Thorough investigation revealed that it was part of a plot by fellow skater Tonya Harding to keep
Kerrigan out of the Lillehammer Olympics. Harding admitted to covering up the attack, in which her ex­husband hired
Shane Stant to (unsuccessfully) break Kerrigan’s leg.
1972 – This year marks the 40th anniversary of the most
alarming attack in Olympic history — the Munich Massacre.
On Sep. 5, what was supposed to be a harmonious event was
interrupted when 11 Israeli athletes were taken hostage and
killed by Palestinian terrorists who called themselves the Black
September.
MORE: Count Down the Top Ten Sports Crimes
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