Chinese military athletes disqualified for ‘extensive cheating’
Orienteering team found to have used shortcuts and illegal markings
A team of athletes from China has been disqualified from the Military World Games (MWG), hosted this week in the country’s Wuhan province, for cheating.
According to the BBC, the Chinese orienteering team finished first, second and fourth in the women’s middle-distance race and second among the men.
However, after complaints of cheating were lodged by delegations from Russia, Switzerland, France, Poland and Austria, the International Orienteering Federation (IOF), whose rules govern MWG competitions, annulled the results.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The federation said the event “was unfortunately overshadowed by extensive cheating by the Chinese team” and confirmed that it had also rejected an appeal against the disqualification from the Chinese athletes.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues for £6–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Orienteering is a foot race involving small teams, who use a compass and map to navigate a path through complex terrain to reach a finish line, Business Insider reports.
However, the IOF said it was “discovered and proven” that the Chinese teams had “received illegal assistance both by spectators in the terrain, markings, and small paths prepared for them and which only they were aware of”.
The IOF, which deferred to a jury for the decision, said that it “takes the actions of the Chinese team very seriously and is pleased to see that the IOF rules regarding the fairness of competition were enforced by the jury”.
The Guardian says that the developments are an “embarrassing episode for China”, which was hosting the games for the first time. The paper reports that the country’s president, Xi Jinping, attended the opening ceremony, and Beijing hoped that the event would “build closer ties between the People’s Liberation Army and other armies and bolster the Chinese military’s profile”.
Like the Olympics, the Military World Games are held every four years, CNN says, with the inaugural competition held in Rome in 1995. More than 9,000 athletes from 109 countries are taking part and the event is due to end on 30 October.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - April 27, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - natural gas, fundraising with Ted Cruz, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Aid to Ukraine: too little, too late?
Talking Point House of Representatives finally 'met the moment' but some say it came too late
By The Week UK Published
-
5 generously funny cartoons on the $60 billion foreign aid package
Cartoons Artists take on Republican opposition, aid to Ukraine, and more
By The Week US Published
-
How would we know if World War Three had started?
Today's Big Question With conflicts in Ukraine, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, the 'spark' that could ignite all-out war 'already exists'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The issue of women and conscription
Under the radar Ukraine military adviser hints at widening draft to women, as other countries weigh defence options amid global insecurity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine's unconventional approach to reconstruction
Under the radar Digitally savvy nation uses popular app to file compensation claims, access funds and rebuild destroyed homes
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Growing turmoil in resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo
Under the Radar South African troops help army battle rebel groups in the world's leading cobalt producing country
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Will Ukraine's leadership reset work?
Today's Big Question Zelenskyy hints at ousting of popular military chief, but risks backlash amid dwindling munitions, delayed funding and Russian bombardment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Imran Khan sentenced to 10 years: how powerful is Pakistan's military?
Today's Big Question The country's armed forces ignore country's economic woes, control its institutions and, critics say, engineer election results
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Iran's endgame?
Today's Big Question Tehran seeks to supplant US and Saudi Arabia as dominant power in Middle East while forcing Israel to end Gaza war
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Israel proposes two-month pause in Gaza war in exchange for all Hamas hostages
Speed Read Deal doesn't include an agreement to end war, but might be 'the only path that could lead to a ceasefire', said US officials
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published