The US may face disqualification from hosting the 2028 Summer and 2034 Winter Olympics if it oversteps legal boundaries while investigating Chinese swimmers over doping suspicions, warns former World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Dick Pound. In April, a New York Times report alleged that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for banned drugs prior to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but were still allowed to compete; WADA later confirmed these claims but stated that it accepted the findings of Chinese authorities, who claimed the swimmers were “inadvertently exposed to the substance through contamination.
The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) accused its global affiliate of “having swept these positives under carpet,” threatening the credibility of the Paris Olympics which begin next week. In response, it was reported that the US Justice Department had launched a criminal investigation into how global sports officials were handling the case of the Chinese swimmers. Operating under the 2020 Rodchenkov Act, which claims to extend American jurisdiction to international sporting events involving American athletes or having financial ties to the US, the US authorities are investigating possible violations.
WADA expressed disappointment in the reports about the probe and mentioned that they “validate the concerns…about the passage of the Rodchenkov Act” in the US. Commenting on the situation, Pound stated that the Rodchenkov Act is “non-compliant with the anti-doping code,” adding that WADA may initiate proceedings to declare the US non-compliant, which could result in the country being unable to host the Olympics.
Reuters reported, citing sources, that WADA is indeed considering taking the US to the compliance review committee. Furthermore, Pound criticized the US’s actions on the matter as lacking any foundation, pointing out that this was “a domestic China competition, there wasn’t an American within 6,000 miles.
The 2028 Summer Olympics are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, while the location for the 2034 Winter Olympics has not been officially confirmed, but Salt Lake City is listed as a preferred host by the International Olympic Committee.