By Ryan Rosendale
While every Olympic Games sees new heroes emerge, it also sees the birth of some controversial - and often hated - villains.
Some may be only be despised by a particular fanbase or in some cases they're hated by an entire nation.
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That said, the sheer distaste for the athlete normally only tends to last for a brief moment or two before it becomes a distant memory.
Not these guys though.
The following ten Olympic stars are still marred in controversy to this very day - and their title of "villains" doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.
10. Gijis van Hoecke - 2012 London Olympic Games
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Belgian cyclist Gijis van Hoecke was forced to leave the 2012 London Olympics after photos appeared of him looking drunk and unable to walk while leaving a London nightclub. The Belgian Olympic committee made its decision after consulting with the team leader of the Belgian cycling squad with several British and Belgian newspapers publishing photos showing the 20-year-old Van Hoecke with his eyes closed and his trousers and shirt wet, being helped into a vehicle by teammates.
09. Zola Budd - 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games
Heading into the women's 3000m track event at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, much of the hype was around two runners - Zola Budd from Great Brittan and Mary Decker from America. During the race the duo continually bumped into each other as they jostled for position. On one occasion, Decker hit the deck hard and was forced to be carried from the track, unable to continue. Budd, running barefoot, was obviously shaken by the incident and finished a disappointing seventh and while Decker would come out years later and take responsibility for her own fall, many Americans still blame Budd for the unfortunate collision.
08. Nicolas Batum - 2012 London Olympic Games
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French national and current LA Clippers player Nicolas Bartum let losing frustrations overcome him during a 66-59 quarterfinal loss to Spain at the 2012 London Olympics. Late in the game, Batum punched Spain's Juan Carlos Navarro in the groin. Batum later apologised on Twitter despite post-game saying, "I wanted to give him a good reason to flop".
07. Michel Morganella - 2012 London Olympic Games
Following a defeat by South Korea in the 2012 London Olympics, Swiss footballer Michel Morganella posted a racist tweet that saw the star defender later expelled from the Games. The loss was a shock one and Morganella vented his frustrations on Twitter and while the 23-year-old later apologised for his outburst, he didn't appear again for the team due to his poor actions.
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06. Valentin Prokopov - 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games
The Soviet Union's Valentin Prokopov is long regarded as the main instigator in kicking off the violence seen in the infamous 'Blood in the Water' match between the Soviets and Hungary. Prokopov punched Ervin Zador, kicking off the violence that saw the match called off by officials and giving Zador a nasty gash above the eye.
05. Ryan Lochte - 2016 Rio Olympic Games
During the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Ryan Lochte was a part of a host of swimmers from the American team to claim they had been taken hostage at gunpoint. The brash blond-haired swimmer appeared on camera days later seemingly verifying the claims before an investigation found they had been confronted by security guards for drunk and disorderly behaviour. He was later charged for falsely reporting a crime and was banned by the American Olympic Committee for 10 months.
04. Yu Yang - 2012 London Olympic Games
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The reputation of badminton was reduced to shreds by four women's pairs at the 2012 London Olympics, each of whom sought to throw their final round-robin match in hopes of facing a weaker knockout opponent. They were summarily disqualified and shamed for their nerve. The face of the scandal became China's Yu Yang, the 2008 Beijing doubles gold medallist. Along with partner Wang Xiaoli, the pair started missing simple shots against a duo from South Korea, apparently to avoid facing another Chinese pair in the quarterfinals. The pair were thrown out of the Games for their actions.
03. Angel Matos - 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
Cuba's Angel Matos took home taekwondo gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics but couldn't replicate that feat in a disappointing showing at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Heading into Beijing, Matos was looking to replicate his Sydney heroics when what can only be called a brain-fade got the best of him. During the bronze medal match, Matos sustained an injury and took a medical time-out. When the medical time-out had expired and Matos didn't return to the ring, the match was called by the referee, awarding his opponent the bronze medal. Furious at the decision, Matos then kicked the official in the face and was banned for like by the world taekwondo federation for his actions.
02. Ben Johnson - 1988 Seoul Olympic Games
The winner of the 100m track final at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Canadian Ben Johnson's post-race urine test was later found to contain stanozolol and he was later disqualified and stripped of his gold medal. While the race would feature six runners who would be found guilty of doping post-race, given Johnson won the gold medal it's this reason why he became the biggest villain of the Olympics "dirtiest race in history".
01. Tonya Harding - 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympic Games
One of the winter Olympics most infamous competitors, figure skater Tonya Harding is known worldwide for what became known as the 'Nancy Kerrigan incident'. During a crucial practice to determine who would make the American figure skating team, a henchman hired by Harding's ex-husband and bodyguard struck her teammate Nancy Kerrigan in the leg. Both Kerrigan and Harding still competed in Lillehammer with Harding's knowledge of the attack proved post-competition. She was fined, received three years of probation, and never skated competitively again. The incident is one of the Games most well-known and was made into a feature film in 2017 titled I, Tonya.
Topics: olympics, Tokyo Olympics, Australia, top 10