The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday awarded Salt Lake City the bid to host the 2034 Winter Olympics, but warned that the city could be stripped of its hosting rights if U.S. authorities continue their dispute with the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Salt Lake City’s bid was a foregone conclusion, as the Utah city, which hosted the 2002 Games, was the only candidate.
But in a dramatic reversal, shortly before members approved the bid by 83 votes to six, Olympic leaders said the Games could be canceled if U.S. lawmakers and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) were not brought to heel, particularly in the case of 23 Chinese swimmers.
USADA CEO Travis Tygart accused the IOC of “sinking into threats.”
John Coates, chairman of the IOC Legal Commission, said the host city contract confirming Salt Lake City’s right to stage the Games had been amended to allow the IOC to withdraw them if US authorities failed to respect the “supreme authority” of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Speaking in Paris before the Games opened on Friday, Coates said it was “essential, and I stress the word essential” for US authorities to comply with WADA.
“The IOC has strengthened the current language of the Olympic Games Hosting Contract to protect the integrity of the international anti-doping system and to allow the IOC to terminate – to terminate – the Olympic Games Hosting 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 obstructed or compromised,” Coates said.
The warning stunned seasoned observers of the IOC and sports politics.
USADA has been a vocal critic of WADA for most of the past decade.
Those tensions rose this year after reports in April revealed that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but were later allowed to compete at the Games.
Tygart has consistently accused WADA of covering up the cases, which China has blamed on unintentional food contamination.
Eleven of the 23 Chinese swimmers are present in Paris.
WADA has angrily rejected USADA’s criticism, threatening legal action against the body.
– ‘Sporty lapdog’ –
Coates said the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the state of Utah have agreed to the revised host city contract.
“We are committed to strengthening WADA’s authority because it is essential to providing athletes with clean sport and giving them confidence that they can be protected,” said USOPC President Gene Sykes.
“We believe this is of paramount importance and we take their concerns very seriously.”
USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland called the Games “an opportunity to bring organizations together to improve the entire anti-doping ecosystem in collaboration and unity with one another.”
She said they “signed the contract with joy and eagerness.”
But in an angry statement, Tygart again condemned WADA’s handling of the Chinese swimmers’ case and attacked the terms of the deal for Salt Lake City to host the 2034 Games.
“It is shocking to see the IOC itself stoop to making threats in an apparent effort to silence those seeking answers to what are now called facts,” he said.
“It seems clearer than ever that WADA violated the rules (regarding Chinese swimmers) and needs accountability and reform to truly be the global watchdog that clean athletes need.
“Today’s demonstration has once again shown that, as things stand, WADA is nothing more than a watchdog of the sport and that clean athletes have little chance.”
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