Olympics-U.S. Olympic officials call for truce in doping feud

By Steve Keating

PARIS (Reuters) -America's top Olympic official has backed the world anti-doping body after its credibility came under fire over a case, recently come to light, of Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance and went on to compete at the 2021 Tokyo Games.

Canada-based WADA is embroiled in a fierce row with the U.S anti-doping body. Travis Tygart, chief of America’s USADA, has publicly accused the global agency of a cover-up over its handling of the case of the 23 Chinese swimmers.

WADA had accepted the findings of the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency that the athletes were inadvertently exposed to the drug through contamination at a hotel they stayed in. Some of those swimmers went on to win Olympic medals.

United States Olympic and Paralympic chief Gene Sykes said on Thursday that he was fully supportive of WADA and called on tempers to cool.

"I'll say this as clearly as I can - we accept, we support, we subscribe to the world anti-doping code," Sykes told reporters on Thursday.

"What we want to do is to cool the tempers and find a way for these organisations to constructively work better together, and that's our responsibility."

The USOPC, along with the 2028 Los Angeles and 2034 Salt Lake City Olympic host committees have been caught in the crossfire in the increasingly bitter feud between WADA and USADA.

The International Olympic Committee has issued a stern warning to U.S. sports officials: support WADA as the global leader in the fight against doping or risk losing the Games.

The IOC awarded Salt Lake City the 2034 Winter Games on Wednesday but said in an amendment in the host city contract that it could terminate the Olympic host contract "in cases where the supreme authority of WADA in the fight against doping is not fully respected or if the application of the anti-doping code is hindered or undermined."

Sykes stressed that the amendment allows the IOC to have an escape clause if the United States somehow undermines its support for the world anti-doping code.

"We're not going to do that, we're going to try to make it stronger," he said.

FEUD ESCALATES

The WADA and USADA feud escalated on Wednesday when Reuters reported that the global body was taking the U.S. agency to the Independent Compliance Review Committee (CRC) next month in a landmark move that could jeopardise the country hosting the 2028 and 2034 Olympics.

WADA is taking the step as a result of the dispute with USADA over its handling of the case involving the 23 Chinese swimmers.

Any country wanting to compete in or stage an international sporting event must be compliant with the world anti-doping code, meaning if the review went against the U.S. it would have to forfeit participating in and hosting the Olympics.

"At the heart of this dispute lies a sense that USADA has that the World Anti-Doping Agency hasn't followed the procedures that they should follow," said Sykes, referring to the Chinese swimmers case. "That has led to a very intense argument.

"They've been playing a game of ping pong with media bullets, if you will, and it's obviously been distressing.

"We at the USOPC believe there will be a solution to this dispute."

Sykes's hopes of negotiating a WADA/USADA truce seem remote.

INTENSE CRITICISM

WADA president Witold Banka, who has come under intense criticism from USADA's Tygart, said he was always open to discussion but in the current climate did not believe much would come out of any meeting with the man who has accused him publicly of masterminding a cover-up.

"We are always very open for collaboration," said Banka. "Of course, in the current situation, after all these defamatory comments, allegations, statements which are totally against the principle of collaboration, it's a very difficult situation and the relations are tough."

Sykes robustly defended Tygart but sidestepped all questions about a Department of Justice investigation, pointing out that it was something the USOPC would not be involved in.

A U.S. House of Representatives committee in May called on the DOJ to launch inquiries ahead of the Paris Games to ensure American athletes would be competing on a level playing field.

"USADA is led by a very able person, Travis Tygart, who's famous for his record in being very vigilant in anti-doping," said Sykes. "We respect Travis, and we respect Travis's role."

While there have been efforts to bring the temperature down on hostilities, the doping scandal remains poised to overshadow racing at the La Defense Arena pool when the Olympics swimming gets under way on Saturday.

Australia's Olympic 200 metres breaststroke champion Zac Stubblety-Cook said he may make an anti-doping protest after racing Chinese world record holder Qin Haiyang at the Paris Games.

Banka told Reuters swimmers can be confident everything is being done to ensure a clean competition.

"I understand that maybe they have concerns but we can assure them that the anti-doping program before the Games is very robust and complex," said Banka.

"When you look at the figures, how many tests were conducted by the ITA (International Testing Agency) and other entities responsible for testing on the Chinese swimmers, it's obvious that this program was very robust."

(Reporting by Steve Keating in Paris; Editing by Ken Ferris)