Olympian was demoted to last place for 'using voice' during competition as strict rule requires silence

An Olympian was once demoted to last place after using their voice during an event.

Last summer, the Olympic Games took place in Paris, France, with the United States of America finishing top of the standings with 40 gold medals.

China came second despite having the same amount of golds, but fell short in the silver medal count with just 27 compared to Team USA's 44.

Team GB brought home 65 medals, including 14 golds, 22 silvers and 29 bronzes.

Overall, they finished seventh – their lowest position since Athens 2004 – but the likes of Keely Hodgkinson, Bryony Page, Toby Roberts and Tom Pidcock managed to clinch gold.

During the Olympic Games, there are rules in different events that you may not have heard of before.

For example, as reported by Women's Health Magazine, it is forbidden for equestrians to use their voice during competition.

Back in 1932, Swedish equestrian Bertil Sandstrom was accused of making clicking sounds at the horse, which was illegal under International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) rules.

At the time, Sandstrom claimed the noise came from his new saddle squeaking, but after being reviewed by the Appeals Committee consisting of FEI President Guy Henry, FEI Vice President Clarence von Rosen of Sweden, and FEI Secretary General Georges Hector of France, the Swedish competitor was dropped from silver medal position to last place.

However, it has been reported that his score was allowed to stand for the team event despite it being null and void for the individual competition.

Equestrian is a popular Olympic sport. Image: Getty

Away from horses, gymnasts are banned from wearing certain colours of nail polish when they compete in events.

Competitors are also allowed to apply neutral colours of nail polish - but specific colours are banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

There are several reasons behind the ban, with one of those being that it could potentially serve as a distraction to judges while they are assessing each gymnast's routine.

In addition, it also allows the judges to assess how healthy the gymnast's nails are, as different natural colours can indicate a potential deficiency or disease.