Many American athletes have been stripped of their Olympic medals over the years. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which oversees the games, can rescind medals — especially if athletes have violated the Olympics’ regulations. Most of the time, athletes get their medals stripped for doping infractions.
Most famously, Lance Armstrong admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career. The cyclist, who won bronze at the 2000 Olympics, returned his medal to the IOC 13 years later. While the IOC has removed medals from participants for other reasons, it is a rare occurrence.
In 2024, Jordan Chiles had her bronze medal reallocated to Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu after the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) ruled Chiles’ score adjustment , which helped her clinch the award at the Paris Games, was requested four seconds past the deadline. Keep scrolling to see which Team USA athletes have been stripped of their medals and why: The boxer, whose real name was Frank Joseph Floyd, won a silver and bronze medal at the 1904 Olympics. However, the rules of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) stated it was illegal to fight under a pseudonym.
The following year, Egan was disqualified from all AAU competitions and had to return all his prizes, including his two Olympic medals. Thorpe made history as the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States in the Olympics. During the 1912 games, he earned the gold for the decathlon and pentathlon.
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