LA Could Lose 2028 Olympics Amid Dispute Over Chinese Anti-Doping Investigation

LOS ANGELES, CA — An ongoing feud between the American and world anti-doping authorities could lead Olympics officials to pull the plug on Los Angeles' plans to host the 2028 games, according to reports.

At issue is a disagreement between the World Anti-Doping Agency and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, both of which oversee the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports. The dispute could force Olympics officials to cancel U.S. Olympic games, including the 2028 games in Los Angeles and the 2034 games just awarded to Salt Lake City.

Such a move would have a wide-ranging impact across Southern California, where communities including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Temecula, Carson, and Inglewood are already steeped in plans to host Olympic events in 2028.

Earlier this year, news broke that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned medication at a training camp but still competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed the positive tests, but said it accepted the findings of a Chinese investigation that blamed a contaminated hotel kitchen for the positive tests, Reuters reported.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency accused the World Anti-Doping Agency of a cover-up and the federal government has launched an investigation into the case.

The global agency has launched a compliance review case against the U.S. anti-doping body. At the heart of the dispute is that country-level anti-doping authorities cannot undermine the authority of the world body — if next month's proceedings go against the U.S., the country would have to forfeit the right to participate or host the Olympics, Reuters reported.

The International Olympic Committee awarded Salt Lake City the 2034 Winter Games on Wednesday, which came with a warning that U.S. sports officials must support the World Anti-Doping Agency's authority.

Olympics officials wrote that they could terminate Salt Lake City's 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."

If the anti-doping compliance review rules against the U.S., Los Angeles' contract could also be terminated, Reuters reported.

The rising tensions prompted the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee chief on Thursday to urge the domestic and world anti-doping agencies to work together to resolve the dispute. He also publicly pledged his committee's allegiance to the World Anti-Doping Agency's supreme authority.

High-profile Olympians such as American swimmer Caeleb Dressel have been highly critical of the World Anti-Doping Agency since news of the Tokyo tests recently broke.

“No. I don’t [think there will be a level playing field]. No. Not really,” Dressel said. “I don’t really think they’ve given us enough evidence to support them with how this case was handled.”

Read more:

• New Olympics Venues Announced Across LA County
• Olympics In Long Beach: 2028 Olympics Venues Added And Changed
• Olympic Events In Temecula: Galway Downs Officials Offer Update
• LA OKs $54M Proposal To Expand Convention Center Ahead Of Olympics