Tour de France women cyclists allegedly sparked a bust-up by padding their bras to make them more aerodynamic recently. It’s said the secret boost might help them ride faster in time trials.
But that’s not the weirdest thing athletes have done to give themselves an unfair advantage. Here Meg Jorsh reveals some other out-there strategies…
Willy do it: It only happened in February – but let’s revisit the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, where male ski jumpers were accused of trying to cheat using penis-enhancing injections. It’s said a larger member, boosted with hyaluronic acid, means a slightly bigger suit, which might help you fly further.
Twin it to win it: At the 1984 Olympic Games, Puerto Rican track star Madeline de Jesús injured her leg in the long jump. Unable to compete in the 4 x 400m relay, she secretly recruited identical twin sister Margaret to run the qualifying heat in her place.
The team made it through – but their coach pulled them out of the finals when he found out what Madeline had done.
Fish you were here: Things took a nasty turn at a 2022 angling tournament when competitors noticed something unusual about the winning catch.
The fish were cut open by judges at the Lake Erie Walleye Trail contest in Ohio, US – and turned out to be stuffed with lead weights and fillet scraps. Disgraced champs Chase Cominsky and Jake Runyan were disqualified.
Bloody awful: Harlequins were losing to Leinster in the 2009 Heineken Cup quarter finals when Tom Williams started bleeding from the mouth.
No-one had seen what caused the injury, but he was taken off the field, allowing top kicker Nick Evans to come back on. Leinster still won – and it later emerged Tom had bitten down on a blood capsule to cause the fake injury.
Imperfect pitch: When Cologne’s Anthony Modeste took a penalty kick against Augsburg in December 2015, he slipped and missed the shot.
It later emerged Augsburg goalie Marwin Hitz had sabotaged the turf by scuffing it with his studs. Cologne sent him a €122.92 (£89.15) bill for repairs.
Bolt from the blue: When Rosie Ruiz won the 1980 Boston Marathon – in an incredible two hours, 31 minutes – her hair was perfectly styled and she was barely sweating.
No-one could remember having seen her on the track. It turned out she had hidden in the crowd, then joined the race a mile before the finish line.
Nero far: Roman Emperor Nero didn’t even try to hide his blatant cheating at the 67AD Olympic Games.
He competed with 10 horses in the four-horse chariot race – and according to some reports, fell out of his carriage but was still declared the winner.