LA28 and IOC members on Thursday “tried to downplay friction” between the organizing committee and the L.A. City Council, according to Scott Reid of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. IOC VP Nicole Hoevertsz said that she “was ‘amazed by the progress’ LA28 has made in preparing for the Games and securing corporate sponsorship.” LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman added that the local organizing committee has secured more than $2B in “contracted revenue” surpassing the total corporate sponsorship revenue for the 2024 Paris Games. Hoevertsz said, “The Games are on track, and the Games are in safe hands of a very qualified and very capable team.” However, Reid noted Hoevertsz’ confidence in LA28 is “not shared by city council members and other top city officials” who in recent weeks and months have “become increasingly critical of what they describe as LA28’s lack of transparency, its failure to be responsive to council questions and concerns...and other stalling tactics on major issues“ (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 6/4).
WORLD CUP A TEST RUN: LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said that organizers will use FIFA World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium this summer “as a key learning opportunity for transport, security and crowd movement" as they prepare to stage the Summer Games. REUTERS’ Rory Carroll wrote the World Cup matches are offering Olympic planners “a live test” of how the region handles a major global sporting event before the much larger Olympics and Paralympics. Hoover said that the organizing committee has “developed a strong relationship with FIFA” and “expects lessons from the soccer tournament to feed directly into Olympic planning” (REUTERS, 6/4).
WASSERMAN NOT GOING ANYWHERE: The AP’s Beth Harris reported Wasserman “hasn’t considered resigning” from the role over his appearance in the Jeffrey Epstein files despite L.A. Mayor Karen Bass "urging him to quit." Wasserman said “no” to whether he had thought about stepping down and “yes” to whether he had talked to Bass about her February comments. LA28 has said that with help from an outside legal firm, it “conducted a review” of Wasserman’s interactions with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, with Wasserman’s full cooperation. It fully backed Wasserman staying on. Wasserman said he talks to Bass “weekly, if not more frequently,” noting the conversations are “between us.” Wasserman: “They continue to be thoughtful and productive with a completely shared vision on delivering the greatest Games for the city and our community” (AP, 6/4).
