In an address to the International Olympic Committee in Pylos, Greece, Casey Wasserman addressed concerns over visas and entry requirements to the U.S. for athletes and delegations taking part in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Wasserman shared the spotlight at the 144th IOC session Thursday with Kirsty Coventry, who became the first woman and first African to be elected president of the body. Coventry, the sports minister of Zimbabwe and a two-time Olympic swimming gold medalist, was elected from a slate of seven candidates to an eight-year term of office.
Wasserman, chairman of the Games organizing committee, assured the 105 active IOC members that “irrespective of politics today, America will be open and accepting to all 209 countries for the Olympics. L.A. is the most diverse city in the history of humanity and we will welcome the people from around the world and give them all a great time.”
Concerns stem from recent reports that President Trump‘s administration is considering sweeping travel restrictions for the citizens of 43 countries. Trump issued an executive order the day he took office Jan. 20 requiring the State Department to identify countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.”
IOC member Ingmar de Vos, who leads the collective group of Summer Games sports bodies, questioned Wasserman about the proposed restrictions on travel to the U.S., which includes a total travel ban from 11 countries, sharply restricted visas from 10 others and a 60-day vetting process for citizens of an additional 22 countries.
Wasserman downplayed concerns, saying he has made “significant strides” in getting assurances from Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that obtaining visas shouldn’t be a problem.
Most athletes participating in the L.A. Games — as well as the Leagues Cup soccer tournament this summer and the men’s World Cup next summer — will do so under a B1/B2 tourist visitor visa, commonly used for athletes competing in a sporting event in which they are not receiving payment from a U.S.-based entity.
“We have had four different administrations, three different presidents in our bid process,” Wasserman told the IOC. “All of them have affirmed and reaffirmed their commitment to both full access for everyone and the Olympic Charter.
“The Commerce and the State Department under [former President] Biden at the end, created an accelerated visa program specifically for athletes. And in my many conversations with President Trump and Secretary Rubio, they understand the scale and complexity required to deliver these Games, the access required for not just athletes but for delegations, and the incredibly short time frame on which to do those.
“We will have a fully staffed desk at State [Department] focusing just on this issue in the next 12 months to get prepared, and I don’t anticipate any problems from any country to come and participate and have their delegations in full force and be part of the Games in Los Angeles.”
Wasserman also referenced the Palisades and Eaton fires in his IOC address, saying, “Everyone loves a comeback story.” He assured the IOC that no Olympic venues were damaged, including Riviera Country Club, which will host Olympic golf and was in the Palisades fire evacuation zone.
“From purely an Olympics perspective we got very lucky. That’s not the most important thing,” Wasserman told the Associated Press. “What’s important is helping people get back into their homes, get back settled, get back with their lives.”
In a reminder that he also has the ability to enlist top-end musical artists as founder and CEO of his titular talent agency, Wasserman told the AP that Kendrick Lamar will have a role in Olympic festivities.
“Fortunately in my day job I represent Kendrick Lamar,” Wasserman said. “He is truly an L.A. icon, so I think it would be a pretty fair bet that Kendrick will be involved in the Olympics in Los Angeles in some way.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
