● From our sister site, TheSportsExaminer.com ●
With so many prior announcements, there wasn’t a lot of drama expected on the second day of the 142nd Session of the International Olympic Committee, with the votes for the hosts of the 2030 and 2034 Olympic Winter Games.
But, in the end, there was plenty.
The French Alps bid for 2030 had issues with the government guarantees required by the IOC and could not be confirmed. French President Emmanuel Macron appeared at the Session and noted that an agreement between the national government and the two regions in which the Games will be held had been reached, and
“I want to confirm my full commitment and the full commitment of the French nation, and I assure you that I will ask the next Prime Minister to include not only these guarantees, but also an Olympic law in the priorities of the new government.”
As the recent French legislative elections did not give any party or coalition a governing majority, there is no new government in place at this time. So the IOC voted to conditionally award the 2030 Winter Games to the French Alps by a vote of 84-4 with seven abstentions. The IOC explained:
“While French Alps 2030 submitted a signed copy of the Olympic Host Contract prior to the IOC Session, the IOC will not counter sign it until the Games Delivery Guarantee is received, at the latest by 1 October 2024, and ratified by the French Parliament no later than 1 March 2025.”
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There were no open questions about the Salt Lake City bid for 2034, which has been continuously praised by the IOC’s Future Host Commission. But there was another issue on the minds of the IOC members, having nothing to do with the Olympic Winter Games.
Instead, the reaction of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and the U.S. Congress to the January 2021 Chinese doping incident – in which 23 swimmers tested positive, but none were sanctioned – came front and center, in a 45-minute, mostly scripted tirade, led off by IOC member Ingmar de Vos (BEL), the head of the Federation Equestre Internationale and the incoming head of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) , who launched into a prepared, eight-minute address, which included:
● “I don’t want to go too much in detail about the case itself … but it was clearly not a case of doping. And according to all the available evidence, scientific and otherwise, it was a case of no-fault environmental contamination and the low levels of TMZ [trimetazidine] present could have given no performance enhancement to the athletes concerned.
“Such cases of environmental contamination happen regularly in all parts of the world, and in different sports, including in the United States of America, and where anti-doping organizations have closed cases of no-fault food contamination and where WADA decided not to appeal such no-fault contamination scenarios.”
● “[S]everal United States initiatives based upon this case on China – consequently, foreign soil – are extremely worrying and, basically for us, unacceptable.
“They are the result of the famous Rodchenkov Act that we have questioned already many times in the past. A United States Congress hearing, letters from the United States Senate, a U.S. Federal criminal investigation regarding an anti-doping case on a foreign territory, the issuing of a subpoena to our colleague, the Executive Director of World Aquatics, 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.”
● “Regretfully, this is another example of the politicalization of sport, the abuse of sport for political reasons. What will be the impact on our events, on the events our international federations have already allocated to the United States and what should we think when we are considering the allocation of future events to the United States? And what is the risk that they are going to be impacted by another geopolitical crisis.”
● “But we really to understand what is going to happen in the future and where is this going to end.”
This was followed by comments from a couple of other members, before IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) said the solution was a change to the Host City Contract for the organization of the Games. He handed the floor to Australian member John Coates:
● “The IOC has reinforced the current language of the current 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 if – and here I quote – ‘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 hindered or undermined.’
● “Now, we are pleased to inform you that both the state of Utah and the USOPC have fully supported this addition and have already signed the Olympic Host Contract.”
● Coates singled out U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee President Gene Sykes and SLC-Utah chief executive Fraser Bullock, that they “are committed to partnering with the IOC in the discussions that must – I say that word again – must be had with the various U.S. authorities to insure that they fully respect the supreme authority of WADA and that the application of the World Anti-Doping Code is not hindered or not undermined.
“We appreciated that and we have very much looking forward as soon as possible after these Paris Games, working with you to achieve those statements.”
After some minor comments from six other members, Sykes addressed the IOC:
“On the broad issue of the respect for WADA, I want to offer some comments and then make a commitment to all of you. On behalf of all of the organizations that you’ve seen the past couple of days – L.A., Salt Lake City, the USOPC – we are committed to fostering WADA’s authority, as WADA’s authority is crucial for the opportunity to provide clean sport for athletes and give them confidence that they can be protected.
“So our view is this is of paramount importance and we take your concerns very seriously. There were a few comments about the recommendations that will come in the final report from the investigator, Mr. Cottier, as well as the recommendations in the report of World Aquatics. Those recommendations offer us some opportunity to begin a dialogue and begin the process of solving this issue, and we are committed to solving this issue.
“We will do that, we respect the treatment that we’ve had, the very open conversations and dialogue. We certainly accept the obligations and responsibility inherent in the amendment to the Olympic Host Contract.
“So, from our perspective, we take very seriously to heart all of your comments and we pledge to you that we will be good partners, and we will support with you this very, very important institution.”
Bullock had perhaps the clearest perspective of all:
“We’ve been at this 22 years and something like this happens. Has nothing to do with us. But it has to do with our country and it has to do with the Olympic Movement, and the Paralympic Movement. And so we’ve got to get this right.
“And when I look at the situation right now, we need to bridge the gap and bring everybody together. … We can be a catalyst.”
Bach called the entire affair a “healthy discussion among friends” and added:
“It is very unfortunate, and I am sorry for you, and for us, that this issue arose now, at the time when it comes to your election. You have nothing not only to do with this, I think you were also extremely clear in your commitment to the integrity of the international fight against doping and the supreme authority of WADA.”
In the end, the award to Salt Lake City passed by 83-6 with six abstentions, joyously celebrated by the Salt Lake City delegation in the room and hundreds more camped out in the early morning in Washington Square.
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games were, of course, thrilled.
Sykes said in a statement, “This is a great day for winter sport in the United States and around the world.
“The Games vision brought forth by the Salt Lake team – inclusive of state and city leaders, the remarkable bid team and the community that showed support for this effort throughout – has been collaborative and forward-looking from the very start.”
Bullock added:
“Today’s decision by the International Olympic Committee is as much about the Olympic and Paralympic Movement as it is about Salt Lake City-Utah.
“We are proud to show the world how our living legacy brings value to our communities, enriches the lives of youth, and helps contribute to the world of sport.”
This will be the fifth Olympic Winter Games held in the U.S., with two in Lake Placid in 1932 and 1980, Squaw Valley, California (now Palisades Tahoe) in 1960 and the highly-successful Salt Lake City Games in 2002.
The drive to return the Winter Games to Salt Lake City began in February 2012 with the formation of a committee to explore a new bid, led by then-Utah Governor Gary Herbert and Utah Sports Commission President Jeff Robbins. The USOPC recognized Salt Lake City as its preferred Winter Games bidder in December 2018 and the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games was created in February 2020.
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The central figure in the IOC’s fury over the China doping incident from 2021 is U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief Travis Tygart, who was not impressed with the discussions and actions at the IOC Session on Wednesday:
“We are thrilled the U.S. will host the 2034 Winter Games in Salt Lake and we will do everything in our authority to ensure those Games are fair and clean, as what country wants to invest in fraudulent Games that are not played by the rules?
“Of course, we do have full respect for the World Anti-Doping Code, which is why we are so shocked by WADA leadership’s decision to turn their back on the rules in the case of the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive and to allow China to cover them up.
“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. It seems more apparent than ever that WADA violated the rules 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. If WADA has nothing to hide, they would welcome the chance to answer questions, not run and hide.
“The IOC should be leading the charge to protect clean sport, and it will be devastating to clean athletes around the globe to see a blind eye turned toward these positive tests. We will continue to call for a strong, independent WADA and for transparency over threats. There are basic unanswered questions of how WADA allowed China to sweep 23 tests under the rug, and athletes and the public still deserve answers.”
Tygart was a driving force behind the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019 and will be involved in any future discussions about any amendments and how USADA’s attitude toward will be approached in the future.
Observed: There is a lot more to unpack about the IOC’s actions in bullying – and that’s what it was – the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee during the election for the 2034 Winter Games. And the IOC acknowledged that nothing is going to get done until after Paris, and in terms of any changes to the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019, it may have to wait until after the U.S. elections in November.
In the meantime, two things are true: the brilliant efforts of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games has brought the Winter Games back for a second time, and that the IOC has picked a fight with a tireless opponent in Tygart, who famously pursued Lance Armstrong.
This isn’t over; the whole issue has just gotten a lot more complicated.
~ Rich Perelman
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