Utah

Could a doping probe strip Salt Lake City of the 2034 Olympics? The IOC president says it's unlikely

Published

8 months ago

September 29, 2024

Could a doping probe strip Salt Lake City of the 2034 Olympics? The IOC president says it's unlikely

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — In his first visit back to Utah since awarding Salt Lake City the 2034 Winter Games, the International Olympic Committee president sought to ease worries that the city could lose its second Olympics if organizers don’t fulfill an agreement to play peacemaker between anti-doping authorities.

Thomas Bach on Saturday downplayed the gravity of a termination clause the IOC inserted into Salt Lake City’s host contract in July that threatens to pull the 2034 Games if the U.S. government does not respect “the supreme authority” of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Olympic officials also extracted assurances from Utah politicians and U.S. Olympic leaders that they would urge the federal government to back down from an investigation into a suspected doping coverup.

Utah bid leaders, already in Paris for the signing ceremony, hastily agreed to the IOC’s conditions to avoid delaying the much anticipated announcement.

Bach characterized the contract language Saturday as a demonstration of the IOC’s confidence that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency will fall in line with WADA. He implied that WADA, not the Olympic committee, would be responsible in the unlikely occasion that Salt Lake City loses the Winter Games.

“This clause is the advice to our friends in Salt Lake that a third party could make a decision which could have an impact on our partnership,” Bach said.

Tensions have grown between WADA and its American counterpart as the U.S. government has given itself greater authority to crack down on doping schemes at international events that involve American athletes. U.S. officials have used that power to investigate WADA itself after the global regulator declined to penalize nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

With its contract curveball, the IOC attempted to use its little leverage to ensure that WADA would be the lead authority on doping cases in Olympic sports when the U.S. hosts in 2028 and 2034.

Salt Lake City’s eagerness to become a repeat host — and part of a possible permanent rotation of Winter Olympic cities — is a lifeline for the IOC as climate change and high operational costs have reduced the number of cities willing and able to welcome the Winter Games. The Utah capital was the only candidate for 2034 after Olympic officials gave it exclusive negotiating rights last year.

Utah bid leaders should have the upper hand, so why did they agree to the IOC’s demands?

Gene Sykes, chairman of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said he doesn’t view the late change to the host contract as a strong-arm tactic, but rather a “reasonable accommodation” that secured the bid for Utah and brought him to the table as a mediator between agencies.

He expects the end result will be a stronger anti-doping system for all.

“It would have been incredibly disturbing if the Games had not been awarded at that time,” Sykes told The Associated Press. “There were 150 people in the Utah delegation who’d traveled to Paris for the single purpose of being there when the Games were awarded. So this allowed that to happen in a way that we still feel very confident does not put Utah at any real risk of losing the Games.”

“The IOC absolutely does not want to lose Utah in 2034,” he added.

Sykes is involved in an effort to help reduce tensions between WADA and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, while making sure the U.S. stands firm in its commitment to the world anti-doping system that WADA administers.

The White House’s own director of national drug control policy, Rahul Gupta, sits on WADA’s executive committee, but the global agency this month has tried to bar Gupta from meetings about the Chinese swimmers case.

For Fraser Bullock, the president and CEO of Salt Lake City’s bid committee, any friction between regulators and government officials has not been felt on a local level. His decades-long friendship with Bach and other visiting Olympic leaders was on full display Saturday as he toured them around the Utah Olympic Park in Park City.

“There’s no tension — just excitement about the future of the Games and the wonderful venues and people of Utah,” Bullock told the AP. “We are 100%.”

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Utah

Utah scientists discover incredibly well-preserved ancient skeleton of an Ice Age fox

Published

7 hours ago

June 6, 2025

Press Room

Utah scientists discover incredibly well-preserved ancient skeleton of an Ice Age fox

VERNAL, Utah — While Vernal is known for dinosaurs, with many being discovered in the area, there is a different kind of creature making waves for being found nearby.

Scientists at the Utah Department of Natural Resources Division of State Parks at the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum spend their days studying bones, but gathering them is a rarity.

That’s why when they heard of a perfectly preserved Ice Age discovery, they were thrilled.

What is it, you ask? Well, those of us here at FOX 13 News are especially excited about it because it is a perfectly preserved red fox skeleton.

Her name is “Roxy,” and she was found undisturbed in a cave in the Uintah Mountains, representing one of the most significant Ice Age mammal discoveries in the region.

The bones were known about for years, but it wasn’t until the U.S. Forest Service dated some of them that the researchers realized what a rarity they had on their hands. When they learned how old the bones were last year, they knew they had to collect them, and then they recently learned the species.

“This is probably the most exciting vertebrate skeleton I’ve ever collected,” said John Foster, the curator of collections at the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum. “I hate to say it, but it was a lot more fun than a dinosaur.”

The fox skeleton includes skull material, neck, back, tail, ribs, and what Foster describes as one of the best-preserved parts: the left lower jaw.

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Among his favorite elements are the individual claws from the front paws of the animal.

Incredibly, you can make out the details in them as if the fox died just a few years ago, but she’s quite a bit older than that.

At 26,000 years old, Roxy predates the pyramids, written language, and even farming.

Red foxes are the most widely distributed terrestrial carnivores in the world.

The team of researchers said the species appeared in North America from Eurasia between 300,000 and 130,000 years ago.

Roxy remained perfectly preserved on the surface of that remote cave until scientists carefully extracted her.

The recovery process was challenging, requiring hours of hiking just to reach the cave entrance, followed by more hours navigating to the back of the cave where the skeleton lay.

“Of course, it was completely nerve-wracking collecting it. The scariest part was deciding that we hadn’t missed anything,” Foster said. “We’re trying not to break anything. It was six hours in there just to get all that done.”

Before Roxy was discovered, few Ice Age mammals had been found in northeastern Utah. Foster said the only one of note that he personally knows of is a shin bone of a camel found in the 1980s south of Vernal.

Now that the bones have been acclimated and preserved, the science can begin.

To start, researchers will take small portions of two ribs and send them off to be carbon dated, which should provide dating accuracy within about 100 years.

Next, the team will also analyze ear bones to extract DNA and conduct isotope analysis.

DNA and isotope analysis will unlock what Roxy’s diet was like, and if it was any different from modern red foxes.

It also might offer clues to the relationship between different canine species, from foxes to wolves, to my two adorable spaniels.

Finally, one question Foster is hoping the DNA might answer is what color her fur was, since it was the Ice Age, and a red fox might stick out like a sore thumb.

All of this discovery is the reason Foster says he keeps coming back and doing what he does.

“That’s kind of the highlights of doing this stuff,” he said.

All of this adds up to making Roxy the most important skeleton discovered, ever…

Okay, I made that last sentence up but we’re partial at FOX13 since Roxy is one of us!

Following the science that will be done, Roxy’s bones will go on display at the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park so we all can share in her incredible story.

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Gamers flock to Utah stores as Nintendo Switch 2 officially launches

Published

1 day ago

June 5, 2025

Press Room

Gamers flock to Utah stores as Nintendo Switch 2 officially launches

SALT LAKE CITY — The wait is finally over for gaming fans. As of 10 p.m. on Wednesday, the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 is officially on sale — and it’s flying off the shelves.

At a Best Buy store in West Jordan, a line of people wrapped around the building.

People line up outside of a Best Buy in West Jordan to get a Nintendo Switch 2 on June 4, 2025. (Nathaniel Gillis, KSL TV)

“I’ve been here since one o’clock,” said one excited gamer to KSL TV.

At the GameStop in Taylorsville, eager fans enjoyed a little pre launch party outside the store were employees dressed up like Mario characters. For these gamers, this is the best day ever. It’s been eight years since the original Nintendo Switch was released, and this moment has been a long time coming.

People line up outside of a GameStop in Taylorsville to get a Nintendo Switch 2 on June 4, 2025. (Nathaniel Gillis, KSL TV)

“I’m super excited for it,” said CJ Raulli. “This one is supposed to be a lot more powerful, like a PlayStation in your hand.”

Earlier in the day Damir Krizanovic, managed to make it inside the store to snag the very last pre order.

“We stopped everything we were doing,” Krizanovic said. “We had one goal in mind — and it was to get a Switch 2.”

What’s new with the Switch 2?

The Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to be a major upgrade over its predecessor. Gamers are especially excited about its enhanced performance and redesigned controllers.

“Eight years is a huge gap, the specs and everything are much better than they were before. The controllers were always too small and fragile. These are better — bigger and fit in your hand nicely,” said Krizanovic.

Price Tag and What’s Next

The console, bundled with the new Mario Kart game, will set buyers back around $600. Additional games are priced at $80 each.

“Absolutely, I got work off tomorrow,” one gamer laughed, ready to spend the night immersed in the new system.

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Utah

UVU getting involved in conference realignment

Published

2 days ago

June 4, 2025

Press Room

UVU getting involved in conference realignment

Conference realignment has reared itself again in Utah. This time, it is Utah Valley University that is on the move.

The Big West Conference announced Wednesday morning that the Wolverines will officially join the conference in 2026-27, leaving behind the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). UVU will join the Big West as a full member. It is a reunion of sorts, as UVU was a member of the Big West from 1978 to 2005.

“We are thrilled to welcome Utah Valley University to The Big West,” Big West commissioner Dan Butterly said in a statement. “UVU brings a tradition of competitive excellence and a rapidly growing athletic program that aligns perfectly with our membership and vision for the future. Their addition expands our geographic footprint into a vibrant and strategically significant region, while elevating the level of competition across the board. We look forward to the energy and excitement the Wolverines will bring to The Big West.”

UVU, which sponsors 14 Division 1 sports, will compete in the Big West in:

Baseball.
Men’s basketball.
Women’s basketball.
Men’s cross country.
Women’s cross country.
Men’s golf.
Women’s golf.
Men’s soccer.
Women’s soccer.
Softball.
Men’s track and field.
Women’s track & field.
Women’s volleyball.

Wrestling will continue to be a part of the Big 12 conference.

“Utah Valley University is proud to be part of The Big West. This marks an important milestone for the university, our 47,000 students, 125,000 alumni, and nearly 400 student-athletes,” UVU president Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez said in a statement “We look forward to competing and growing in a new and dynamic environment, and learning from our peers in The Big West.”

Added UVU athletic director Dr. Jared Sumsion: “The Big West is an outstanding conference with a proud history of success at the highest levels of Division I competition. We are excited to take on this new challenge and appreciate The Big West’s confidence in our university and athletic program.”

The addition of UVU brings Big West membership up to 11. UVU rejoining the league can be traced back directly to the decisions of Texas and Oklahoma to leave the Big 12 for the SEC.

Here’s the turn of the events that led to UVU’s return to the Big West:

Texas and Oklahoma leave the Big 12 for the SEC.
USC and UCLA leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.
BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF join the Big 12 (the latter three defecting from the American Athletic Conference).
Oregon and Washington leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten.
Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah leave the Pac-12 and join the Big 12.
Cal and Stanford leave the Pac-12 and join the ACC.
Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State announce that they are leaving the Mountain West Conference to remake the Pac-12 alongside Oregon State and Washington State.
The Mountain West adds Hawaii and UC-Davis (previously Big West Conference schools) as full-time members in wake of defections to the Pac-12.
UVU joins the Big West.