As the Trump presidency is increasingly seen as a liability to Los Angeles’ pursuit of the 2024 Olympic Games, organizers on Friday reiterated the new administration’s support of the bid while also emphasizing the city’s diversity and inclusiveness.
Describing Los Angeles as “a city without cultural borders,” Los Angeles 2024 chairman Casey Wasserman and chief executive officer Gene Sykes, speaking on a conference call, pushed a message that offered a clear contrast to the first two weeks of the Trump administration.
“LA is literally whatever you want it to be,” Wasserman said. “The world lives here and that’s no exaggeration. There’s no question that every global city, including our competitors in this race, are multi-culturally diverse. But you know what makes a difference? The diversity of LA is the glue that holds it together. Ours is a diversity that unites our city instead of dividing it.”
The call on LA 2024’s submission of the 127-page Stage III bid book to the International Olympic Committee on Friday came shortly after Iran’s official news agency reported the U.S. wrestling team would not be permitted to compete in a World Cup event in the western Iranian city of Kermanshah later this month.
The submission and call also came a week after Trump’s executive order banning most citizens from Iran and six other Muslim nations from entering the U.S. touched off calls for Los Angeles’ bid to be withdrawn and raised questions about the viability of any American Olympic bid in the current political climate.
“It’s important to remember just what it is we’re bidding for,” Sykes said. “Yes, we’re bidding for the world’s biggest sporting event. Yes, we’re bidding for the economic benefits these Games will undoubtedly deliver to our city. Yes, we’re bidding for the chance to harness LA’s extraordinary creativity and innovation to develop a new games for a new era. But more than that, we’re bidding to welcome back the world back to the United States and help the Olympic movement to fulfill its mandate.
“At the launch of the modern Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin said, ‘We shall not have peace until the prejudices that now separate our nations have been outlived.’ … We’re bidding above all else to unite the youth of the world in friendship and peace through sport to reassure future generations that the U.S. remains the most welcoming nation on earth, that our ideals and the Olympic ideals are one and the same. And that Los Angeles is ready to serve the Olympic world once again.”
Trump recently abruptly hung up on Australia prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. He has also been sharply critical of NATO.
Australians have held influential positions within the IOC for at least the past three decades. Australia’s John Coates is a current IOC vice president. Of the IOC’s 95 members, 29 come from NATO countries other than the U.S. Another 16 IOC members are from non-NATO European countries.
Wasserman, however, said he had “no concerns” about an anti-Trump backlash influencing IOC voters.
“When we raised our hand for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it was because we believe in the power of the movement to unite the world,” Wasserman said. “And that was an ability to unite the world through sport, not politics, and we believe that now more than ever. And I agree with (Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti), who said we’ll be judged on the merits of our bid, not politics. Because the IOC has always acted in the interest of sport above politics and we have no doubt the same will continue in this process.”
Sykes said the bid has “very strong support from the administration.”
“President Trump during the transition had a long conversation with Thomas Bach and expressed his support for LA 2024 and his enthusiasm for the Olympics,” Sykes said.
LA 2024 and U.S. Olympic Committee officials were able to work with administration officials last weekend to ensure Iran’s archery team would be able to travel to a World Cup competition in Las Vegas from Feb. 10-12.
“We have very direct relationships with very senior people in the White House, and when the travel ban on immigration or visitors from certain countries was announced on Friday, we realized there were problems we immediately got in touch with senior people in the White House and their first response: ‘We want to help you,’” Sykes said. “We know when we need to we can call on senior people. We’ve done that and we will continue to do whatever we need to make sure we accommodate sporting people, officials, athletes, etc., so that we make this process work. And I believe very strongly we’ll be able to do that.”
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