The International Committee (IOC) on Wednesday pushed Utah officials to end an FBI investigation into an alleged doping coverup involving the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Chinese swimmers as it celebrated Salt Lake City as the host of the 2034 Winter Games.

The entire deal for Salt Lake City to get the Games was contingent on Utah officials, including Gov. Spencer Cox, and U.S. Olympic leaders to lobby federal authorities to get the investigation dropped – a probe that has been the talk among American Olympic swimmers for weeks.

The IOC added a clause in the contract demanding the termination of the probe. 

“That was the only way that we could guarantee that we would get the Games,” Cox said after the announcement, adding that if the U.S. doesn’t respect the “supreme authority” of WADA then “they can withdraw the Games from us.”

The scandal broke out months before Olympians splashed down into the pool.

It was revealed in the spring that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned heart medication before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and were still allowed by WADA to compete. Five of the swimmers went on to win medals, including two gold. Eleven of the swimmers who tested positive ahead of Tokyo are set to compete in Paris.

WADA then cleared itself of any wrongdoing in handling the case involving the Chinese swimmers. A special prosecutor, appointed by the agency, determined that WADA’s decision not to punish the Chinese athletes was “reasonable” and didn’t show favoritism.

2024 PARIS OLYMPICS: EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT THIS YEAR’S SUMMER GAMES

WADA President Witold Banka said the special prosecutor’s investigation confirmed “that there was no impropriety connected to WADA’s handling of the case.”

Former U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn takes a selfie with the Salt Lake City delegation after the IOC formally awarded the 2034 Winter Games to the United States, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

He said WADA’s next step would be to meet with outside legal counsel to see “what measures can be taken against those that have made untrue and potentially defamatory allegations.”

U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) chair Gene Sykes said some officials and athletes from other countries are worried that anti-conspiracy law would allow the U.S. to arrest or subpoena Olympic visitors.

Some officials “have been very anxious about what it would mean to the sports figures who came to the United States, somehow they were subject to uncertainty in terms of their freedom of travel,” Sykes added. “And that is always concerning to people who don’t understand the United States.”

The case can be investigated in the U.S. under federal legislation named for the whistleblower of Russia’s doping scandal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games – called the Rodchenkov Act.

“We will work with our members of Congress,” Cox told IOC president Thomas Bach ahead of the vote. “… We will use all the levers of power open to us to resolve these concerns.”

Olympic legend Dara Torres told Fox News Digital earlier this month she lost all confidence in WADA amid the latest scandal.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks about Salt Lake City’s bid to host the 2034 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

“I 100% agree. They’ve completely failed athletes,” Torres said. “I came from the era of the East German and then the Chinese, and there were random swimmers from different countries that were doping. First, overall, I don’t know how you have a conscious doing that because it should be equal ground.

“You shouldn’t feel great winning if you did it by cheating. And I feel like there needs to be more intricate testing to be ahead of the dopers and not behind the dopers. I know Travis Tygart, he’s the head of the USADA. He was actually very upset about that. He’s doing everything in his power to make sure that there’s going to be an even playing field and clean sport.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

The San Francisco Giants will cram four games into three days at home against the Colorado Rockies, thanks to a doubleheader on Saturday.

With that, the Giants face a decision at the back end of that four-game series, according to reporting from NBC Sports Bay Area.

The first three starters are set, but Sunday’s game will likely be “Jordan Hicks’ last start or Alex Cobb’s first,” per the outlet.

Cobb is nearly ready to return from his injury rehab and after a strong start to the season while Hicks has trailed off in terms of performance, putting manager Bob Melvin in a bit of a spot.

Hicks has been a reliever most of his Major League career, but when the Giants signed him in the offseason they said they would convert him into a starter, something he wanted.

The early returns were promising.

He went 2-0 in his first six starts and kept his ERA under 2.00. Cobb and Robbie Ray started the season on the injured list. Blake Snell hit the IL after the season’s first three weeks. So Hicks’ performance was a great lift.

But the quality of those starts has gradually dropped. He went 2-2 with a 3.99 ERA in May, followed by an 0-2 June in which he had an ERA of 5.24. His three starts in July have been terrible — an 0-3 record and a 8.31 ERA.

NBC Sports Bay Area reported that the Giants would give Hicks one more start before a discussion about his role. But his last start on Tuesday — in which he gave up four earned runs and was unable to get out of the fourth inning — may have given them cause to reconsider.

Whether Hicks starts on Sunday may depend entirely upon Cobb’s readiness.

San Francisco had hoped Cobb would return earlier than this. He had offseason hip surgery and was expected to miss a portion of the regular season. But while doing rehab work for the hip he felt mild shoulder irritation before throwing a bullpen session on April 16. That landed him on the 60-day injured list four days later and took him out of the mix until at least late May.

He wasn’t ready to make a rehab start until June 30.

In his last rehab start this past weekend he was sharp, tossing five innings and not allowing a run. More importantly, he threw 60 pitches.

A return to the rotation would give the Giants another veteran arm as they try to stay in the playoff race and allow them to move Hicks to the bullpen.

As for the rest of the series, the Giants will start Kyle Harrison on Friday, followed by Blake Snell in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader and rookie Hayden Birdsong in Game 2.  

After being traded from the LA Clippers to the Utah Jazz, nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook was waived by Utah and will sign with the Denver Nuggets as a free agent. In a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, it was revealed that Westbrook is joining the Nuggets on a two-year contract worth $6.8M that includes a player option for the second season.

Westbrook will join the Nuggets as a much needed rotation guard after Denver lost both Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson this summer. Capable of a lot more of what Denver needs than what Jackson was able to do last season, Westbrook should help the Nuggets in several different ways.

Westbrook appeared in 68 games for the Clippers last season, only missing time due to a fractured left hand that cost him three weeks. Averaging 11.1 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 4.5 APG in just 22.5 minutes per game, Westbrook became the only qualifying player in NBA history to reach those averages in less than 23 minutes per game.

Also one of the NBA’s best on-ball guard defenders last season, Westbrook was often tasked with defending the other team’s best player when on the court. This is a responsibility he will almost certainly see more of next season with the Nuggets losing Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic in free agency.

Denver Nuggets Star Reacts to Nikola Jokic’s Brother Punching Fan

Carmelo Anthony Reacts to Team USA’s Controversial Caitlin Clark Decision

Nikola Jokic’s Former Teammate Makes Massive Luka Doncic Statement