The International Olympic Committee said on Thursday that it will not investigate reported past allegations of cheating by the women’s soccer team, despite having awarded the team its medals.
“It would be a matter for FIFA,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said. “They have to continue their investigations, and they would have to come up with sanctions.”
A report by TSN suggested that Canada’s pattern of spying on opponents extended to the Tokyo Olympics, against the host nation. Canada tied Japan 1-1 in an opening round game.
After that report, Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker cast doubt on the propriety of Canada’s gold medal in Japan. “There appears to be information that could tarnish that Olympic performance in Tokyo,” he said at a press conference. “It makes me ill, it makes me sick to my stomach, to think that there could be something that calls into question…one of my favourite Olympic moments in history.”
IOC spokesperson Adams posited a hypothetical scenario in which a medal winner was retroactively disqualified by its federation. “Then there could be a medal reallocation,” Adams said. “But that would first and foremost be for the federation (FIFA, in this instance) to make the decision.” When asked if any nation had ever voluntarily returned a medal upon discovering it had been gotten unfairly, Adams – a man who has always has an answer to hand – seemed stumped. “I can’t say. I don’t think so.”