Formerly a senior member of the International Olympic Committee, Dick Pound warned that the United States may lose the Olympics if it allows its police agencies to take harsh action on an investigation into alleged doping by Chinese swimmers.
Pound, who is also the first president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, noted that the U.S. move to investigate the doping allegations leveled against 23 Chinese swimmers using The Rodchenkov Act may be contrary to the world anti-doping code.
The code states that non-compliant countries cannot be allowed to compete or host international sporting events. The Rodchenkov Act grants expansive jurisdiction to the United States authorities over foreign competitions involving American athletes or having a financial nexus with the United States, Xinhua News Agency reports.
"I think WADA will send this to the compliance review committee," he said. "If that committee finds non-compliance, then it could end the United States from being able to host the Olympics," Reuters quoted Pound saying.
Pound further revealed that the IOC might delay the formal declaration of Salt Lake City as the host of the 2034 Winter Olympics considering the events.
ASOIF, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, rallied behind WADA but raised concerns about the security of its executives. The US Justice Department opened an investigation into WADA's handling of the matter and issued a subpoena for World Aquatics executive director Brent Nowicki to testify in the investigation of WADA's decision.
Independent reviews by Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier and World Aquatics concluded that WADA did not show bias or irregularities in the management of the case, countering allegations of mismanagement or cover-up.
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