U.S. Olympic and Paralympic chief Gene Sykes reassured worried sports officials that they need not fear being investigated by American law enforcement when in the United States but conceded there was nothing he could do if they were.
The influential Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, or ASOIF, expressed their concerns at bringing events to the United States after World Aquatics executive director Brent Nowicki was subpoenaed by the U.S. government to testify in an investigation into how 23 Chinese swimmers escaped punishment after testing positive and allowed to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.
A U.S. House of Representatives committee in May called on the Department of Justice to launch inquiries ahead of this year’s Paris Olympics, which got underway Friday.
“They [federations] have asked questions, and I’ve also provided reassurance,” Sykes told Reuters. “We’ll have many events going forward, and I expect those events to go well, and I expect people to travel to the United States without incident.
“I can’t control anything that the FBI does, but honestly, it’s a small issue … relative to the magnitude of people who are going to come to the U.S. for events that are important to them, and the reassurance comes from the evidence of how many people actually enjoy the hospitality of the U.S.”
It may be a small issue for Sykes, but for ASOIF members it has become a major concern. Images of members of soccer’s world governing body FIFA being arrested on U.S. corruption charges as they exited a Zurich hotel in 2015 have not been forgotten and is not a scene the ASOIF or the International Olympic Committee would like to see repeated with their members.
With the U.S. preparing to host the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, several test events are being planned for the Olympic venues.
ASOIF said in a statement that U.S. investigations may lead federations to consider the risks of allocating future competitions over doubts about the safety of athletes and officials.
ASOIF concerns center around the Rodchenkov Act legislation.
The Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act passed in 2020 is named after Grigory Rodchenkov, who led Russia’s state doping program before turning whistleblower. The act allows criminal charges to be brought against those found to have committed anti-doping rule violations.
The legislation extends U.S. law enforcement jurisdiction to any international sporting competitions that involve American athletes or have financial connections to the United States.
“The Rodchenkov Act was passed over four years ago, we’ve had literally hundreds of international sporting events since then, with athletes who have come to the United States and team officials and others without incident,” said Sykes, who was elected an International Olympic Committee member on Wednesday.
“We want to reassure people who come to the United States that they will be treated with respect, and they’ll be welcome,” he said. “I think we have a very, very good record.”