The International Olympic Committee awarded the 2034 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City on Wednesday but warned they could be stripped of the Games if US authorities maintain their feud with the World Anti-Doping Agency.
The success of Salt Lake City’s bid was a foregone conclusion given the Utah city, which hosted the Games in 2002, was the only candidate.
But in a dramatic twist shortly before members approved the bid by 83 votes to six, Olympic chiefs said the Games could be revoked if US lawmakers and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) were not brought into line, especially over the case of 23 Chinese swimmers.
Outspoken USADA chief Travis Tygart accused the IOC of “stooping to threats”.
John Coates, chairman of the IOC’s legal commission, said the host city contract confirming Salt Lake’s right to stage the Games had been altered to allow the IOC to take them away if US authorities did not respect the “supreme authority” of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Speaking in Paris ahead of the opening of the Games on Friday, Coates said it was “a must, and I stress the word must” for the US authorities to respect WADA.
“The IOC has reinforced the current language of the Olympic host contract in order to protect the integrity of the international anti-doping system and to allow the IOC to terminate — to terminate — the Olympic host contract in cases where the supreme authority of the World Anti-Doping Agency…. is not fully respected or if the application of the World Anti-Doping code is hindered or undermined,” Coates said.
The warning stunned seasoned observers of the IOC and sports politics.
USADA has been a vocal critic of WADA for much of the past decade.
Those tensions spiked this year after reports in April revealed that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but were subsequently cleared to compete at the Games.
Tygart has consistently accused WADA of covering up the cases, which China blamed on unintentional food contamination.
Eleven of the 23 Chinese swimmers are in Paris.
WADA has angrily rejected the criticism from USADA, threatening legal action against the body.
– ‘Sport lapdog’ –
Coates said both the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the state of Utah had agreed to the reworded host city contract.
“We are committed to fostering WADA’s authority as (it) is crucial for the opportunity to provide clean sport for athletes and give them confidence that they can be protected,” USOPC chairman Gene Sykes said.
“Our view is that this is of paramount importance and we take their concerns very seriously.”
Sarah Hirshland, chief executive of the USOPC, called the Games an “opportunity to bring organisations together to improve the entire anti-doping eco system in collaboration and unity with one another”.
She said they had “happily and readily signed” the contract.
But in an angry statement, Tygart again condemned WADA’s handling of the case of the Chinese swimmers and lashed out at the conditions of the agreement for Salt Lake to host in 2034.
“It is shocking to see the IOC itself stooping to threats in an apparent effort to silence those seeking answers to what are now known as facts,” he said.
“It seems more apparent than ever that WADA violated the rules (over the Chinese swimmers) and needs accountability and reform to truly be the global watchdog that clean athletes need.
“Today’s demonstration further showed that as it stands today, WADA is just a sport lapdog, and clean athletes have little chance.”
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