Controversies and Scandals Define Major Sports Events in 2025
In 2025, the world of sports saw numerous controversies and disciplinary actions across various disciplines.
Qin Siyue, a 19-year-old Chinese Go prodigy, was stripped of her ranking and banned for eight years after it was revealed she used AI and a hidden phone to plot moves in the ninth round of the Chinese Team Championship. This revelation came months after the event.
Earlier in January, the Baduk world championship final was marred by controversial mid-tournament rule changes in scoring. Korea's Byun Sang-il secured victory against China’s Ke Jie amid the dispute, which Ke Jie described as psychologically traumatic.
In ski jumping, five Norwegian athletes and three male team officials were implicated in a suit cheating scandal involving the use of reinforced thread to alter aerodynamics. Coach Magnus Brevig admitted this violated regulations, while former jumpers Daniel-André Tande and Remen Evensen acknowledged previous cheating incidents.
The World Pool Championship in Jeddah experienced a 'Waxgate' scandal, where allegations arose that players waxed the cue ball. The World Pool Association stated that waxing balls constitutes cheating and that violations would be dealt with under its rules. However, no public punishment had been announced six months on.
At the World Stone Skimming Championship on Easdale Island, several competitors were disqualified following investigations into stone doctoring. The toss master, Kyle Mathews, defended the sport’s competitive spirit despite the disqualifications.
China’s curling team faced accusations at the World Curling Championship in Moose Jaw, with claims they "burned" or touched a rock with a broom to influence its path, alongside other irregularities. As there is no VAR in curling, the incident drew criticism from a prominent Canadian opinion piece.
Disciplinary measures were also notable in rugby and football. Axelle Berthoumieu of France received a 12-match ban for biting Aoife Wafer in a Rugby World Cup quarter-final, later reduced to nine matches upon appeal. In September, Luis Suárez was banned for three matches after spitting at Seattle Sounders security director Gene Ramirez following Inter Miami’s League Cup final.
These incidents have marked 2025 with a series of doping, cheating, and unsportsmanlike conduct scandals that have challenged the integrity of multiple sports.
