Olympic officials try to crush U.S. probes of China doping, threaten Salt Lake Games
PARIS — In a shocking move on Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee moved to crush U.S. inquiries into a Chinese sports doping scandal, by threatening to reject Salt Lake City's bid to host the Winter Games in 2034.
In a series of fierce statements coordinated by IOC President Thomas Bach, top IOC committee members blasted U.S. officials for opening probes into handling of the China case by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Ingmar De Vos, an IOC committee member from Belgium said a probe by the U.S. Congress and a criminal investigation launched by the U.S. Department of Justice "are extremely worrying and basically, for us, unacceptable."
In an unprecedented move, the IOC demanded that officials in Utah — along with U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) — sign a contract affirming "respect" for the authority of WADA in exchange for Wednesday's agreement to hold the 2034 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
Speaking in Paris just ahead of the vote, the chair of the USOPC, Gene Sykes, said he agreed to the binding language.
"We certainly respect the obligations and responsibility inherent in the amendment to the Olympic host contract," Sykes said.
If the U.S. doesn't comply by accepting WADA's authority, Salt Lake City's status as a host city could be revoked.
But many American athletes say they don't trust WADA's procedures and want probes to continue.
"What the athletes think, they want transparency," said Katie Ledecky, the star U.S. swimmer, who spoke at a separate press conference on Wednesday. "They want further answers to the questions that still remain."
In a statement, Travis Tygart head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) blasted the IOC for linking the China scandal to Salt Lake City's bid.
"It is shocking to see the IOC itself stooping to threats in an apparent effort to silence those seeking answers," Tygart said. "It seems more apparent than ever that WADA violated the rules and needs accountability and reform."
The case of 23 Chinese swimmers
The China scandal involves 23 swimmers who tested positive for banned performance enhancing substances on at least two occasions prior to the Tokyo Summer Games in 2021.
WADA officials have acknowledged keeping the test results secret until they were revealed by journalists this spring.
Eleven of those athletes are expected to compete again in Paris.
WADA president Witold Banka said at a press conference in April his organization did nothing wrong.
"At every stage, WADA followed all due process and diligently investigated. If we had to do it over again now, we would do exactly the same thing," Banka said.
On Wednesday, members of the IOC said they agreed with WADA's decision to accept a claim by Chinese officials that the positive tests were the result of accidental contamination.
But the case has sparked a growing firestorm of criticism in the U.S., from members of Congress, sports doping experts, and Olympic athletes.
USADA's Tygart, whose organization monitors and penalizes American athletes if they cheat, testified before a House panel in June that WADA had failed for years to properly punish Chinese and also Russian sports teams that regularly use performance-enhancing drugs.
"Russia and China have been too big to fail in [WADA's] eyes and they get a different set of rules than the rest of the world does unfortunately," Tygart said.
IOC officials say that kind of criticism - and the DOJ probe in particular — threaten to destabilize the international sports doping regimen and could put sports officials at risk when traveling to the U.S.
De Vos, from Belgium, complained on Wednesday that U.S. actions are "clearly intended to undermine the role of WADA and trust in the global anti-doping system."
Salt Lake City officials blind-sided by scandal
At a press conference in Paris on Wednesday, officials from Utah said this controversy hit their Olympic bid "out of the blue" and forced them to scramble for a solution.
Fraser Bullock, who heads the Salt Lake City bid, told reporters he was comfortable signing the contract promising fealty to WADA and its rulings.
"I'm very sympathetic to how the international sports federations feel," Bullock said. "They're worried."
It appears unlikely that this power move by the IOC will quell criticism, especially among members of Congress who are fiercely skeptical of WADA and its ties to China.
USOPC officials said on Wednesday they'll work with the DOJ, members of Congress and athletes to try to improve international sports doping procedures while also de-escalating the controversy.
But American swimmers who are set to compete against Chinese athletes implicated in this scandal say they don't have confidence in WADA's methods or its fairness.
"I hope everyone here is going to be completing clean here this week," said Ledecky. "But what really matters also is were they training clean?"
Transcript
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
In a shocking move today, the International Olympic Committee tried to crush probes by the United States into a sports doping scandal involving 23 Chinese swimmers. Just two days before the opening ceremony in Paris, IOC officials threatened to block Salt Lake City's bid to host a future winter games unless U.S. officials drop inquiries into the case. NPR's Brian Mann reports.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: It should have been a moment of pure joy for the U.S. - IOC President Thomas Bach in Paris announcing today a second winter Olympics will be held in Salt Lake City in 2034.
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THOMAS BACH: Salt Lake City, Utah, is presently elected as host. Congratulations.
(APPLAUSE)
MANN: But behind the scenes, Salt Lake's bid had become tangled in bitter international power politics involving alleged doping by Chinese athletes and claims of a cover-up by the World Anti-Doping Agency known as WADA.
Here's the background. In April, it was revealed that WADA failed to disclose cases of elite Chinese swimmers who tested positive repeatedly for performance-enhancing drugs over a period of years. U.S. athletes and sports doping experts cried foul. The U.S. Congress launched an inquiry. And earlier this month, the U.S. Justice Department opened a criminal probe into WADA's handling of the case.
At the IOC meeting today, just ahead of the vote on Salt Lake City's bid, members of the Olympic Committee demanded the U.S. shut down all those investigations.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
INGMAR DE VOS: Several United States initiatives based upon this case are extremely worrying and basically, for us, unacceptable.
MANN: Ingmar De Vos is an influential IOC member from Belgium. He said the IOC accepts WADA's explanation - that the positive doping tests were the result of accidental contamination. De Vos said the Justice Department criminal probe, in particular, is an overreach by U.S. officials.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DE VOS: The issuing of a subpoena to testify as a witness in the U.S. investigation regarding this Chinese case are clearly intended to undermine the role of WADA and the trust in the global anti-doping system.
MANN: To pressure the U.S. to back off, the IOC, today, did something unprecedented. It added language to Salt Lake City's host contract that requires American officials to, quote, "respect WADA's final authority over doping cases." If the U.S. doesn't comply, Salt Lake City's Olympic win could be revoked. Fraser Bullock, head of Salt Lake City's Olympic Bid Committee, said he was comfortable signing that contract.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
FRASER BULLOCK: I'm very sympathetic to how the international sport federations feel - 'cause they're worried - can I come to the U.S. safely? And we need to make sure that everybody feels safe coming and welcome.
MANN: But critics of WADA voiced outrage today at the IOC's move to link the China scandal to Salt Lake City's bid. In a statement, the head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart, said it was shocking to see the IOC itself, quote, "stooping to threats in an apparent effort to silence those seeking answers." At a press conference in Paris, one of the top U.S. athletes, swimmer Katie Ledecky, called for probes of WADA to continue.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KATIE LEDECKY: I hope everyone here is going to be competing clean this week. But what really matters, also, is were they training clean? What the athletes think - they want transparency. They want further answers to the questions that still remain.
MANN: This hardball move by the IOC appears unlikely to ease concerns by U.S. lawmakers that the international sports doping system is deeply flawed and lacks accountability. But today, Utah Governor Spencer Cox said the goal is to deescalate this conflict.
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SPENCER COX: We'll work very closely with the Department of Justice. We'll work with the Senate. The United States cannot clean up sport by itself. That's impossible.
MANN: But this move by the IOC heightens tension over the scandal just days before Chinese swimmers implicated in the doping case begin to compete against U.S. and other athletes at these summer games.
Brian Mann, NPR News, Paris. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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