Could a doping probe strip Salt Lake City of the 2034 Olympics? The IOC president says it’s unlikely

Hannah Schoenbaum, Associated Press

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — In his first sojourn backmost to Utah since awarding Salt Lake City nan 2034 Winter Games, nan International Olympic Committee president sought to easiness worries that nan metropolis could suffer its 2nd Olympics if organizers don’t fulfill an statement to play peacemaker betwixt anti-doping authorities.

Thomas Bach connected Saturday downplayed nan gravity of a termination clause nan IOC inserted into Salt Lake City’s big statement successful July that threatens to propulsion nan 2034 Games if nan U.S. authorities does not respect “the ultimate authority” of nan World Anti-Doping Agency.

Olympic officials besides extracted assurances from Utah politicians and U.S. Olympic leaders that they would impulse nan national authorities to backmost down from an investigation into a suspected doping coverup.

Utah bid leaders, already successful Paris for nan signing ceremony, hastily agreed to nan IOC’s conditions to debar delaying nan overmuch anticipated announcement.

Bach characterized nan statement connection Saturday arsenic a objection of nan IOC’s assurance that nan U.S. Anti-Doping Agency will autumn successful statement pinch WADA. He implied that WADA, not nan Olympic committee, would beryllium responsible successful nan improbable juncture that Salt Lake City loses nan Winter Games.

“This clause is nan proposal to our friends successful Salt Lake that a 3rd statement could make a determination which could person an effect connected our partnership,” Bach said.

Tensions person grown betwixt WADA and its American counterpart arsenic nan U.S. authorities has fixed itself greater authority to ace down connected doping schemes astatine world events that impact American athletes.

U.S. officials person utilized that powerfulness to analyse WADA itself aft nan world regulator declined to penalize astir 2 twelve Chinese swimmers who tested affirmative for performance-enhancing narcotics astatine nan Tokyo Olympics successful 2021.

With its statement curveball, nan IOC attempted to usage its small leverage to guarantee that WADA would beryllium nan lead authority connected doping cases successful Olympic sports erstwhile nan U.S. hosts successful 2028 and 2034.

Salt Lake City’s eagerness to go a repetition big — and portion of a imaginable imperishable rotation of Winter Olympic cities — is simply a lifeline for nan IOC arsenic ambiance alteration and precocious operational costs person reduced nan number of cities consenting and capable to invited nan Winter Games. The Utah superior was nan only campaigner for 2034 aft Olympic officials gave it exclusive negotiating authorities past year.

Utah bid leaders should person nan precocious hand, truthful why did they work together to nan IOC’s demands?

Gene Sykes, president of nan U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said he doesn’t position nan precocious alteration to nan big statement arsenic a strong-arm tactic, but alternatively a “reasonable accommodation” that secured nan bid for Utah and brought him to nan array arsenic a mediator betwixt agencies.

He expects nan extremity consequence will beryllium a stronger anti-doping strategy for all.

“It would person been incredibly disturbing if nan Games had not been awarded astatine that time,” Sykes told The Associated Press. “There were 150 group successful nan Utah delegation who’d traveled to Paris for nan azygous intent of being location erstwhile nan Games were awarded. So this allowed that to hap successful a measurement that we still consciousness very assured does not put Utah astatine immoderate existent consequence of losing nan Games.”

“The IOC perfectly does not want to suffer Utah successful 2034,” he added.

Sykes is progressive successful an effort to thief trim tensions betwixt WADA and nan U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, while making judge nan U.S. stands patient successful its committedness to nan world anti-doping strategy that WADA administers.

The White House’s ain head of nationalist supplier power policy, Rahul Gupta, sits connected WADA’s executive committee, but nan world agency this period has tried to barroom Gupta from meetings astir nan Chinese swimmers case.

For Fraser Bullock, nan president and CEO of Salt Lake City’s bid committee, immoderate clash betwixt regulators and authorities officials has not been felt connected a section level. His decades-long relationship pinch Bach and different visiting Olympic leaders was connected afloat show Saturday arsenic he toured them astir nan Utah Olympic Park successful Park City.

“There’s nary hostility — conscionable excitement astir nan early of nan Games and nan awesome venues and group of Utah,” Bullock told nan AP. “We are 100%.”

Freestyle aerial skier Cate McEneany, of Park City, talks pinch International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach astatine nan Spence Eccles Olympic Freestyle Pool wrong nan Utah Olympic Park successful Park City, Utah, Saturday, Sept. 28. 2024. | Isaac Hale/The Deseret News via Associated Press