Controversies Mar Sports Events and Figures in 2025
In 2025, several sports scandals and controversies were spotlighted, affecting athletes and teams across disciplines.
Qin Siyue, a 19-year-old Chinese Go prodigy, was stripped of her ranking and banned for eight years from all events organized by her national Go association after using artificial intelligence and a hidden phone to plan her moves.
The Baduk world championship final ended controversially when new scoring rules were mid-tournament introduced, leading to Byun Sang-il defeating Ke Jie, who described the experience as traumatic.
Norway's ski jumping team faced scandal after five athletes and three officials admitted to using reinforced thread in their jump suits to improve aerodynamics. Coach Magnus Brevig acknowledged the cheating, with retired jumpers confessing to similar past violations.
In football-related news, Juan Bernabe, trainer of Lazio’s eagle mascot, was dismissed in January for posting boastful photos online following penile prosthesis surgery aimed at enhancing sexual performance.
The World Pool Championship in Jeddah was embroiled in a 'waxgate' controversy where players were accused of waxing the cue ball. The WPA clarified that waxing is cheating and would be dealt with under its rules. Players including Aloysius Yapp and Eklent Kaci discussed the matter, although no formal sanctions were reported at the time.
At the world stone-skimming championship, competitors were disqualified for 'stone doctoring' after security checks revealed the use of a magnet device by the ringmaster. Kyle Mathews stated that those who violated the rules apologized and faced disqualification.
China's curling team faced accusations of manipulating stones by burning or kicking during the World Championship in Moose Jaw. These concerns echoed similar allegations from a prior event in Korea. George Karrys condemned the incidents in an op-ed. China lost to Switzerland in the semi-finals and to Canada in the bronze medal match.
In rugby, Axelle Berthoumieu of France received a 12-month ban for biting Aoife Wafer in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final. On appeal, the ban was reduced to nine months.
