US at risk of losing both 2028 and 2034 Olympics, says Pound

The United States is at risk of losing both the 2028 Summer and 2034 Winter Olympics if American law enforcement over reaches in its investigation of Chinese swimmers, said former senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Dick Pound, Report informs referring to Reuters.

Any country wanting to compete in or stage an international sporting event must be compliant with the anti-doping code.

Pound, the Canadian lawyer who led the set up of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), believes the Rodchenkov Act the US is using to investigate the positive tests of 23 Chinese swimmers could disqualify it as an Olympic host.

The Rodchenkov Act legislation passed in 2020 extends US law enforcement jurisdiction to any international sporting competitions that involve American athletes or have financial connections to the United States.

"That legislation is non-compliant with the anti-doping code," Pound told Reuters on Tuesday. "My guess is that one of the steps that WADA is going to take at this point is to turn this particular issue over to the compliance review committee.

"Which I suspect, if or when there's a hearing on it, they will declare the United States non-compliant.

"It would mean they could not host the Olympics."

WADA had no comment when asked about taking the US to the non-compliant review committee but other anti-doping officials who did not want to be named confirmed the idea is being discussed.

WADA believes the Rodchenkov Act is national legislation not in harmony with the anti-doing code that allows US authorities to relitigate cases already decided.