Visualizing 50 Years of Doping Scandals at the Winter Olympics
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Visualizing 50 Years of Doping Scandals at the Winter Olympics

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Doping Scandals at the Winter Olympics

Doping Scandals at the Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympics has had its fair share of scandals, from individual Olympians being barred from competition to elaborate state-run doping conspiracies.

Since drug testing began at the Olympics in 1968, there have been 89 positive doping cases at the Winter Olympics.

With the help of data collected and presented by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Procon.org, the above infographic created by Athul Alexander looks at all the doping scandals at the Winter Olympics from the past 50 years.

How it Began: A History of Doping at the Games

The first doping case at the Winter Olympics was noted at the 1972 Sapporo Games, when West German ice hockey player Alois Schloder tested positive for the banned substance ephedrine. He was eventually cleared of all his charges, and his suspension was lifted.

YearOlympic Games# of Positive Doping Cases# of Medals Lost
1972Sapporo10
1976Innsbruck31
1980Lake Placid00
1984Sarajevo10
1988Calgary10
1992Albertville00
1994Lillehammer00
1998Nagano00
2002Salt Lake City109
2006Turin81
2010Vancouver60
2014Sochi5521
2018Pyeongchang41
Total8933

Doping scandals have accelerated in the modern era, with only six positive cases occurring in the first 30 years of the Winter Olympics.

Heightened drug testing, beginning with the 2002 Winter Olympics, has since seen the number of positive cases rise dramatically.

Notable Games Marred by Doping Scandals

Many of the Olympic Winter Games have been engulfed in doping scandals, including:

Nagano, 1998

The first-ever gold medal in Olympic snowboarding went to Canadian Ross Rebagliati. He was stripped of his medal after failing a marijuana drug test, which at the time was a banned substance. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport later overruled this decision.

This was the first case of athletes being stripped of medals due to their use of cannabis, which has since gone through a swath of legalization and has been taken off the list of banned substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Salt Lake City, 2002

As many as 100 drugs tests showed traces of the banned performance-enhancing drug erythropoietin (EPO). This was the first instance where all endurance athletes were tested for EPO during the games.

Skiing was hit the hardest with nine of the 10 positive doping cases coming from the sport.

To make matters worse, cross-country skier Johann Mühlegg, who had just won three gold medals at the games, tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance, darbepoetin. He was eventually stripped of all his medals from the games.

Turin, 2006

Six Austrian athletes were banned for life from the Olympics for their involvement in a doping scandal at the games. This was the first time the IOC punished athletes without a positive or missed doping test.

The Austrians were found guilty of possessing doping substances and taking part in a doping conspiracy. The Italian police found materials during a raid on the athletes’ living quarters. The Austrians also had their competition results annulled.

Sochi, 2014

Dozens of Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, including at least 15 medal winners, were part of a state-run doping program, meticulously planned for years to ensure dominance at the games.

The most notable involvement in the scandal came from 14 members of Russia’s cross-country ski team and two veteran bobsledders, who won two golds. The IOC later banned 11 Russian athletes for life for their involvement.

Sochi had the most doping cases in the Winter Olympics history, with 55 total cases and 21 medals stripped from various athletes.

Pyeongchang, 2018

The entire Russian contingent was banned from participating due to their involvement in the state-run doping scandal at the Sochi games. Some Russian athletes, who were deemed clean, were still allowed to participate under the banner of Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR).

This unprecedented ban still had critics crying foul, saying the punishment wasn’t strict enough. They didn’t believe the ban would deter officials and athletes from performing the same tactics in the future.

Despite the strict scrutiny on the Olympic Athletes from Russia, two athletes were still caught using performing-enhancing drugs. This included curler Alexander Krushelnitskiy, who lost his bronze medal in the process.

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Maps

Mapped: Countries Where People Don’t Exercise Enough

This map shows the share of people in each country who don’t get enough exercise per week. Stark regional patterns emerge.

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This cropped map tracks the share of population in every country that doesn't get enough exercise from data published by a study in Lancet Global Health.

Mapped: Countries Where People Don’t Exercise Enough

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

  • Two-thirds of the UAE isn’t getting enough exercise, the highest rate for any country in this study.
  • In West and South Asia, around half the population falls short of recommended physical activity levels.
  • Roughly one in three Americans aren’t hitting the minimum exercise mark.

The World Health Organization recommends 2.5 hours of moderate activity or 1.25 hours of vigorous activity every week.

What counts as moderate and vigorous activity?

A good rule of thumb is checking heart rate and breathing. If you can talk but not sing while doing the activity (walking, hiking), then it’s a moderate level of exercise.

Running and high-intensity sports are in the vigorous zone.

Using the latest data from a study published by The Lancet Global Health in 2024, we map the countries by the share of their population who aren’t meeting minimum exercise requirements.

Ranked: Countries That Don’t Get Enough Exercise

At the very top of the list, two-thirds of UAE’s population isn’t meeting minimum physical activity guidelines. This is the highest rate for any country in the study.

RankCountry/Territory% of population with
insufficient physical
activity
1🇦🇪 UAE66%
2🇰🇼 Kuwait63%
3🇨🇺 Cuba61%
4🇱🇧 Lebanon59%
5🇰🇷 South Korea58%
6🇵🇦 Panama58%
7🇶🇦 Qatar54%
8🇮🇶 Iraq52%
9🇵🇹 Portugal52%
10🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia52%
11🇨🇷 Costa Rica50%
12🇮🇳 India49%
13🇸🇷 Suriname49%
14🇮🇷 Iran46%
15🇵🇰 Pakistan46%
16🇻🇪 Venezuela46%
17🇱🇾 Libya46%
18🇵🇭 Philippines46%
19🇷🇸 Serbia45%
20🇿🇦 South Africa45%
21🇯🇵 Japan45%
22🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago45%
23🇹🇷 Türkiye44%
24🇧🇧 Barbados44%
25🇰🇳 Saint Kitts & Nevis42%
26🇵🇷 Puerto Rico42%
27🇧🇿 Belize42%
28🇴🇲 Oman41%
29🇨🇾 Cyprus41%
30🇲🇹 Malta41%
31🇧🇷 Brazil40%
32🇮🇹 Italy40%
33🇲🇾 Malaysia40%
34🇸🇻 El Salvador39%
35🇳🇮 Nicaragua39%
36🇧🇭 Bahrain39%
37🇯🇲 Jamaica39%
38🇦🇷 Argentina39%
39🇲🇷 Mauritania39%
40🇨🇱 Chile38%
41🇦🇬 Antigua & Barbuda38%
42🇸🇾 Syria38%
43🇧🇸 Bahamas37%
44🇨🇦 Canada37%
45🇱🇰 Sri Lanka37%
46🇩🇴 Dominican Republic37%
47🇵🇱 Poland37%
48🇬🇹 Guatemala37%
49🇭🇳 Honduras37%
50🇷🇴 Romania37%
51🇵🇾 Paraguay36%
52🇬🇩 Grenada36%
53🇹🇯 Tajikistan36%
54🇳🇷 Nauru36%
55🇬🇷 Greece35%
56🇬🇾 Guyana35%
57🇳🇴 Norway35%
58🇵🇪 Peru35%
59🇨🇴 Colombia34%
60🇪🇬 Egypt34%
61🇺🇾 Uruguay34%
62🇺🇸 U.S.34%
63🇦🇫 Afghanistan33%
64🇹🇳 Tunisia33%
65🇧🇳 Brunei33%
66🇧🇬 Bulgaria32%
67🇰🇮 Kiribati32%
68🇺🇿 Uzbekistan32%
69🇨🇻 Cabo Verde31%
70🇹🇴 Tonga31%
71🇩🇲 Dominica31%
72🇻🇨 Saint Vincent & the Grenadines31%
73🇻🇳 Vietnam30%
74🇲🇺 Mauritius30%
75🇲🇱 Mali30%
76🇵🇸 Palestine30%
77🇭🇺 Hungary29%
78🇫🇲 Micronesia29%
79🇾🇪 Yemen29%
80🇩🇿 Algeria29%
81🇹🇭 Thailand29%
82🇭🇷 Croatia28%
83🇭🇹 Haiti28%
84🇯🇴 Jordan28%
85🇰🇿 Kazakhstan28%
86🇲🇽 Mexico28%
87🇲🇳 Mongolia28%
88🇹🇼 Taiwan27%
89🇦🇩 Andorra27%
90🇰🇵 North Korea27%
91🇹🇱 Timor-Leste27%
92🇦🇲 Armenia27%
93🇮🇱 Israel27%
94🇲🇰 North Macedonia26%
95🇵🇼 Palau26%
96🇮🇸 Iceland26%
97🇸🇲 San Marino26%
98🇦🇺 Australia26%
99🇲🇨 Monaco26%
100🇧🇪 Belgium25%
101🇨🇰 Cook Islands25%
102🇳🇦 Namibia25%
103🇲🇻 Maldives25%
104🇲🇦 Morocco25%
105🇲🇭 Marshall Islands24%
106🇹🇻 Tuvalu24%
107🇦🇱 Albania24%
108🇬🇪 Georgia24%
109🇦🇿 Azerbaijan24%
110🇨🇳 China24%
111🇨🇿 Czechia23%
112🇸🇰 Slovakia23%
113🇫🇷 France23%
114🇸🇬 Singapore23%
115🇪🇨 Ecuador23%
116🇲🇪 Montenegro23%
117🇧🇴 Bolivia23%
118🇧🇼 Botswana22%
119🇲🇲 Myanmar22%
120🇮🇪 Ireland22%
121🇪🇸 Spain22%
122🇬🇭 Ghana21%
123🇬🇲 Gambia21%
124🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina21%
125🇱🇨 Saint Lucia21%
126🇬🇦 Gabon21%
127🇸🇨 Seychelles20%
128🇧🇩 Bangladesh20%
129🇱🇹 Lithuania20%
130🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan20%
131🇦🇹 Austria20%
132🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire20%
133🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea20%
134🇸🇿 Eswatini19%
135🇸🇩 Sudan19%
136🇨🇭 Switzerland19%
137🇬🇧 UK19%
138🇮🇩 Indonesia19%
139🇸🇮 Slovenia19%
140🇨🇲 Cameroon19%
141🇳🇿 New Zealand19%
142🇸🇹 São Tomé & Príncipe18%
143🇳🇬 Nigeria18%
144🇷🇺 Russia18%
145🇸🇴 Somalia18%
146🇧🇯 Benin18%
147🇹🇩 Chad18%
148🇿🇼 Zimbabwe18%
149🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau18%
150🇸🇧 Solomon Islands18%
151🇦🇴 Angola17%
152🇰🇲 Comoros17%
153🇩🇯 Djibouti17%
154🇧🇫 Burkina Faso17%
155🇬🇳 Guinea17%
156🇸🇳 Senegal17%
157🇨🇫 Central African Republic17%
158🇸🇸 South Sudan16%
159🇳🇪 Niger16%
160🇨🇬 Congo16%
161🇪🇪 Estonia16%
162🇱🇦 Laos16%
163🇫🇯 Fiji16%
164🇨🇩 DRC15%
165🇹🇬 Togo15%
166🇱🇷 Liberia15%
167🇱🇻 Latvia15%
168🇧🇮 Burundi14%
169🇿🇲 Zambia14%
170🇧🇾 Belarus14%
171🇱🇺 Luxembourg14%
172🇲🇬 Madagascar14%
173🇼🇸 Samoa14%
174🇰🇭 Cambodia13%
175🇸🇱 Sierra Leone13%
176🇺🇦 Ukraine13%
177🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea13%
178🇩🇰 Denmark12%
179🇹🇲 Turkmenistan12%
180🇩🇪 Germany12%
181🇪🇷 Eritrea12%
182🇲🇩 Moldova11%
183🇧🇹 Bhutan10%
184🇲🇿 Mozambique10%
185🇫🇮 Finland10%
186🇪🇹 Ethiopia9%
187🇳🇱 Netherlands9%
188🇷🇼 Rwanda9%
189🇰🇪 Kenya9%
190🇸🇪 Sweden9%
191🇳🇵 Nepal8%
192🇱🇸 Lesotho8%
193🇻🇺 Vanuatu8%
194🇳🇺 Niue7%
195🇺🇬 Uganda6%
196🇹🇿 Tanzania4%
197🇲🇼 Malawi3%

Note: Data collected between 2022–2024, via surveys and national statistics programs, published August 2024. Figures are age-standardized, averaged between sexes, and rounded.

In fact, the Middle East and West and South Asia are all swathes of red—indicating about half of the population isn’t exercising enough.

On the other hand, East and Southeast Asian countries are a little better when it comes to physical activity.

Interestingly Japan—known for their longevity—isn’t technically exercising enough by the specified guidelines. However the Japanese are also known for their walkable cities and excellent diet, both points in their favor.

Meanwhile, most people in Europe and Africa meet the requirements. Sub-Saharan Africa in particular is very active, but there are economic reasons at play here as well: a greater share of the population in poorer countries are often employed in subsistence farming or manual labor.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To see the correlation between exercise levels and incomes check out The Global Population by Income Group for a quick overview.

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