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Brussels, Belgium - EU authorities are looking into possible antitrust violations by the United States Winter and Summer Olympic teams. Penalties could range from a massive fine to a breaking up of the United States if violations are found.
Heinrich Moreborg of the EU organization investigating the violations said, "We have to seriously consider the United States Olympic teams as monopolies. They won the most medals in 2008 in Beijing, and this year the Winter Olympic teams will set a record for the most medals ever won by a single country. Obviously, this is unfair."
The investigation was prompted by complaints from the Great Britain Winter Olympic team which has only won 1 medal in this year's Vancouver games.
"Throughout the history of the Olympic games the United States has won twice as many medals as the next nearest nation, which doesn't even exist any more, and more than France, Italy and Germany combined," said Moreborg.
While the investigation has not started yet, Moreburg hinted that we may be seeing the California Olympic team and the Texas Olympic team at the 2012 games in London. "I don't want to prejudice my investigation, but I don't see any way that a break up of the country can be avoided."
USOC Chairman Larry Probst defended the US against monopolistic practices. "It's not our fault that the European Union doesn't allow the Genetically Modified (GM) food that creates the uber-athletes we have here in the states. How can we help that?"
Probst said he didn't expect the EU to ever catch up to the US, but he was worried about China. "With their lax environmental polices, I expect powerful mutants to start showing up on the Chinese team in the near future," he said. He also noted that the US would never agree to the Danish proposal to have every country be awarded an equal amount of medals regardless of performance. "We won the cold war people."
The investigating committee should have their recommendations to the European Commission by 2024.
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