Why The New York Times says Utah still could lose the 2034 Winter Games
Jan 2, 2025, 9:00 AM | Updated: Jan 9, 2025, 5:02 pm

The Utah delegation celebrates after Salt Lake City was named Olympics host again as the IOC formally awarded the 2034 Winter Games to the United States bid, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Paris, France. (David Jackson/Park Record)
(David Jackson/Park Record)
A New York Times story about the impact of an international doping issue posted Tuesday features a video of Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and others joyously reacting in Paris to the announcement that the state will host the 2034 Winter Games. But the headline suggests little reason for celebration.
“A Doping Feud Almost Cost Salt Lake City the Olympics. It Still Might,” the headline reads, adding, “A Justice Department investigation into whether antidoping authorities covered up positive tests for elite Chinese swimmers set off a power play to kill the inquiry.”
The story of how the U.S. government’s investigation led to a last-minute addition of a new termination clause in Utah’s contract with the International Olympic Committee signed by the governor, isn’t new. It was first reported by the Deseret News on July 24, after the IOC awarded the state a second Winter Games.
The new clause, the result of nearly a week of intense behind-the-scenes negotiations, allows the IOC to take back the 2034 Games if “the supreme authority of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) in the fight against doping is not fully respected or if the application of the World Anti-Doping Code is hindered or undermined” by the United States.
Read the full story an more from Lisa Riley Roche on deseret.com.