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.
Or even the namesake lake.