White Thyme for Green Beans Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bold Personality

Not the first substitution scandal in the history of horseracing, and not the most effective either. The horse was disqualified within 40 minutes of the race having being run (and won!) by 'Fine Cotton'. But the story didn't end there. John Gillespie, who masterminded the plot, later claimed that the clumsy disguise was all part of a larger plan. Just before the race, the news of the substitution was leaked, and a frenzy of betting on Fine Cotton (Bold Personality in disguise) took place. Gillespie alleges that that was the intended outcome - while the mugs were punting on a horse that was sure to be disqualified, he and his fellow conspirators placed large bets on the horse they reckoned would come second.

It did, and once Bold Personality was disqualified, they collected a huge sum - in the millions - on the second placed horse, Harbour Gold. Yes, there was jail time for the baddies.

Answer: Basketball

Thirteen years after the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, Australia, scandal rocked the Spanish Paralympic committee, when it was disclosed that of the 200 athletes sent to the Games, at least 15 were not intellectually or physically disabled. This included all but 2 of the basketball team that claimed the gold medal.

The former head of the Spanish Federation for Mentally Handicapped Sports was fined about $10000 and ordered to repay government subsidies. The team was forced to return its medals, and after the 2000 Games, the category of ID (Intellectual Disability) basketball was removed from the Paralympic program.

Answer: False

At fourteen years old, Danny Almonte was in fact OVER-age. Almonte's father and coach produced a (falsified) birth certificate to show he was twelve, the age limit for the little leaguers. There were several investigations, the last of which proved that the birth certificate was a forgery (the listed witnesses did not know the family). Danny Almonte was cleared of wrong-doing.

On August 30, 2011, he threw a 'perfect game', taking his team to the finals. Sadly, it ruined his career, and though it wasn't his doing, Danny's reputation was ruined and his career in baseball stunted.

Answer: Tonya Harding

An accomplished skater, Harding won the U.S. Figure skating championships from 1986 - 1989. She was banned for life by the U.S. Figure Skating Association after admitting she had perjured herself in her interview with the FBI, indicating that she was aware of the intention to injure her opponent, Nancy Kerrigan. Kerrigan went on a few weeks later to win Olympic silver in Lillehammer, Norway.

Answer: Placing a curse on a rival

The idea was to write a curse against a rival faction on a piece of lead or a stone tablet, then place it in under the part of the arena where the event was to take place. Sometimes an 'activating' word was said (a bit like abracadabra) and the curse was in effect. I can't tell you if they actually worked or not (okay, I'm guessing not) but the power of suggestion was strong and often riots occurred amongst race-goers when they found out a curse had been placed.

Answer: Going to the toilet so he could cheat by using his mobile phone

Gaioz Nigalidze's title of Grandmaster was revoked after he went to the bathroom once too often at crucial points in the game. It was found that a smart-phone and headset had been placed behind the pan and covered with toilet paper. It wasn't the first time that his behaviour had been under scrutiny; in the Al Ain tournament in 2014, he had indulged in similar activity.

After the Dubai Open, he was banned from competition for three years.

Answer: Harlequins

Given the inventive name of 'Bloodgate', the use of a capsule of fake blood, allowing a tactical substitution of more skilled opponent to take the field at a crucial moment, is seen as one of the worst events in football history. It was later determined that the Harlequins had used the ploy on at least four previous occasions.

The investigation into the incident resulted in fines and the banning of several players and officials.

Answer: Women's artistic team - Gymnastics

Not for the first time, the problem of falsifying the age of some of young gymnasts was raised. In fact, some were found to have been as young as 12, well below the minimum age for competitors of 16. Dong's blog lists her as having been born in the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac, which dates from 20 February 1985 to 8 February 1986.

This means she would have been fourteen at the time of the Sydney Games. Dong was also stripped of her sixth-place result in the individual floor exercises and seventh place in the vault. Partner in the event, Yang YiLin, was also suspected of being too young, and in a television interview about 10 years later, she admitted to being 14 at the time.

Answer: Shane Warne

Warne was given diuretic pills by his mother that were intended to help with his weight problems. However, the pills were banned because they contained a substance that masked the use of steroids, and the substance was picked up in a routine test. He didn't contest the severity of the ban, even though he maintained he was unaware of the substance being in the tablets, mostly due to the effects the scandal was having on his family.

Shane Warne's cricketing talent was prodigious, making him one of the best players of all time. He took 708 wickets with a strike rate of 57.4, and at an average of 25.41. He debuted against India in Sydney in 1992 and retired in 2007, after a game against England, again at the SCG.

Answer: Zeus

Integrity was a big thing in Ancient Greece and the athletes competing in the Games were expected not to cheat! One case of bribery (a boxer named Eupolus of Thessaly influenced three of his fellow competitors to let him win) led to six statues being erected, paid for by culprits, inscribed with their names and a description of their misdeeds. I'm not sure how much good the 'naming and shaming' did, as there have so far been 16 statues unearthed!