Drama delays Utah’s Olympic party. This is the controversy that could cause problems for Salt Lake’s Games

Paris • In 2002, the excitement over the arrival of the Olympics in Salt Lake City was almost quashed by the discovery of a bribery scandal. On Wednesday, a scandal of a different kind threatened to put a damper on the excitement over Utah’s freshly minted designation as the host of the 2034 Winter Games.

Fraser Bullock, the 2034 bid committee’s president and CEO, detoured from his presentation speech for a moment to, unusually, address something controversial: the hubbub surrounding 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance prior to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The positive test results remained largely unknown until the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD reported on them in April. None of the Chinese swimmers suffered repercussions for the positive tests, and five won medals in Tokyo, including three golds. Eleven of the 23 swimmers will also compete at the Paris 2024 Games.

In his speech, Bullock emphasized the 2034 bid committee’s support for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and its belief that the agency should have the final say on doping matters.

“We are grateful for the work being done by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and its implementation of the world anti-doping code,” Bullock said. “We strongly support WADA’s efforts as the ultimate global authority on anti-doping, and we strongly support WADA’s mission, and we’re grateful for all who fight globally for clean sport.”

The statement is controversial because the United States Department of Justice has rebutted WADA’s acceptance of China’s explanation for the positive tests and has opened its own investigation into the matter. China’s Anti-Doping Agency, CHINADA, said the tests were the result of food contamination. It said it found trace amounts of the heart medication trimetazidine in the kitchen at a hotel where the athletes were staying.

The medication, also known as TMZ, is the same found in a sample given before the Beijing 2022 Olympics by Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva. Valieva was eventually suspended for four years for her violation and her results in Beijing were nullified. As a result, USA would have claimed gold in the team competition, and many skaters, including Nathan Chen, were hoping the medal ceremony could be held during the Paris Games. However, both Russia and Canada have filed appeals of the ruling, delaying the ceremony.

WADA was told about the positive tests a month before the Tokyo Olympics but, according to president Witold Bańka, found “no credible way to disprove the contamination theory” proposed by CHINADA. Earlier this month, an independent investigator hired by WADA to review the situation said the agency did not mishandle the case.

The U.S. Department of Justice isn’t buying that.

Under the Rodchenkov Act, passed by Congress in 2019, the Justice Department can prosecute anyone for abetting doping at an international event if it hurts an American athlete or sponsor. And earlier this month, it subpoenaed the World Aquatics Director Brent Nowicki and forced him to testify in the case.

This caused a stir among several international sport federations. Some, according to Reuters, are considering withholding officials from the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles for fear they would be arrested. In addition, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations recommended denying the U.S. the opportunity to host future international sporting events.

That created a big wave for Salt Lake City’s campaign to host the 2034 Winter Olympics, which had previously appeared unsinkable.

Protests of the U.S.’s actions following local organizers’ presentation took nearly as much time as the presentation itself.

Given “the impact on our events, on the events that international federation has already allocated to United States, what should we think when we are considering the allocation of future events to the United States?” asked Ingmar De Vos, the president-elect of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations. “And what is the risk that they are going to be impacted by another geopolitical crisis?”

Bullock said earlier this month he received a call from a concerned Karl Stoss, the head of the IOC’s Future Host Commission, who previously had only complimentary things to say about Utah’s bid.

“We take these concerns very seriously,” Bullock said. “We want our friends to feel very welcome and safe in the United States. In this respect, we totally support reinforcing the Olympic host contract. We are 100% committed to that effort.”

Swimming is not a winter sport and not on the program for the 2034 Games. However, the threat of withholding officials extends to the LA 2028 Summer Games.

Gene Sykes, the chair of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said his organization is giving considerable weight to the federations’ concerns.

“We have listened intently to the concerns of our colleagues regarding anti-doping,” Sykes said. “We also appreciate the time that [IOC] President [Thomas] Bach and his team have given us to discuss this important issue.

“We at the USOPC take these concerns very seriously. We want our friends in sport to feel welcome and safe in the United States at all times. We fully support WADA and its mission to ensure that athletes from around the world can compete in a fair environment.”

Nonetheless, IOC vice president John Coates said a provision has been put in place allowing the IOC to revoke the 2034 Olympics if the United States does not recognize WADA’s “supreme authority.”

Under the provision, Coates said, the IOC can terminate the Olympic host contract if, “in cases where the supreme authority of the World Anti-Doping Agency in the fight against doping is not fully respected, or if the application of the World Anti-Doping Code is undermined.”

CNN reported that on Thursday night the sports advocacy group Global Athlete plans to release the name of the 11 Chinese swimmers who are competing in Paris after testing positive for doping prior to the 2021 Olympics. It will also release their names prior to every “impactful” swimming event.