"The United States cannot give themselves the right to investigate anti-doping cases in all countries in the world. This case is actually very concerning," Banka said a day after the IOC announced the Utah capital a repeat host after holding the 2002 Winter Olympics. 

In a forceful twist of the arm, however, the organism presided by Thomas Bach had attached conditions to said 2034 Games, warning organisers the decision could be reversed if American lawmakers and the US Anti-Doping Agency did not moderate their ways regarding their recent criticism of the global policing body.

The Rodchenkov Act has long been a point of contention between American authorities, the leading worldwide agency and even the IOC. It came to fruition in 2021 as a means to better combat perceived cheaters like Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva and received multi-federation backing, but WADA quickly walked back its original position, suspecting that a broader political power struggle was in play with certain US interests.

"(The Americans) cannot give themselves the right to investigate anti-doping cases in all countries in the world," Banka said during his pre-Paris Games press conference. "They can do that in accordance with their legislation. This is the question mark about the harmonisation of the system. They have to be part of the system. They cannot create a parallel anti-doping system managed by them. This is completely unfair."

Earlier this month, the global watchdog complained that it had yet to receive any contact or request from US law enforcement after the feds called on World Swimming official Brent Nowicki to explain the probe in which 23 Chinese athletes were allowed to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Games despite having tested positive for a heart-enhancing drug. 

“The public reports about this investigation validate the concerns expressed broadly by the international community about the passage of the Rodchenkov Act, under which the United States purports to exercise extraterritorial criminal jurisdiction over participants in the global anti-doping system,” WADA said in a statement back then.

The US-based law targets coaches, agents, dealers, managers and sports or government officials rather than athletes themselves, who are already subject to sanctions by WADA, and convictions can result in fines of up to $1 million (€920.856) while prison sentences can escalate up to a decade.

The original scandal broke out three months ago but dates back to 2020 and even further, as said Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine yet were still allowed to compete in the following Olympics. The New York Times and German broadcaster ARD reported the news back then, quoting USADA’s president, Travis Tygart, saying WADA’s handling of the case could be considered "a potential cover-up". Tensions have gone through the roof since.

The strained relationship between WADA and the US sporting and anti-doping authorities and government did not prevent the IOC vote from going to Utah by a count of 83 in favour and six against on Wednesday, as the capital city benefited from being the only candidate and having been granted exclusive negotiating rights last year in the bidding process.

Ever since the IOC announced the Salt Lake designation, criticism has endured, as athlete-led pressure groups considered publicly that the Olympics fail to truly support the main protagonists or promote global peace and Tygart hit back that same Wednesday, accusing the IOC of "stooping to threats."

Banka, who has had a long and harsh back-and forth with Tygart, did not hesitate to return the volley one day from the Paris 2024 opening ceremony. "What if China, Russia, Poland or Germany create a law with the same impact, giving themselves the right to investigate anti-doping cases in all parts of the world?" he wondered. 

"We're going to have a mess. It's unacceptable. Our obligation is to look at the countries where the anti-doping regulations are implemented through the national legislation. There is no difference for me between the countries. We need to protect the harmonisation of the system to really make sure that there is a level playing field for the athletes and the rules are equal for athletes from all countries in the world."

In a message that steered clear from the sometimes unrestrained optimism of past Games, Banka also acknowledged that no Olympics can be doping-free at this stage of the battle for clean sport. “It’s not that now we want to assure that every single athlete is clean. We do not. It’s obvious that you will never eliminate doping from the sporting landscape. You will always find someone who wants to cheat,” he admitted. 

“Our role is to oversee the system, to make sure the system is robust, to make sure that we are using all the existing tools to test athletes properly.”