Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Casey Wasserman said Thursday he has never considered stepping down as Los Angeles Olympics chief since his name appeared in files from the investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Wasserman has faced calls to resign as chairman of the organizing committee for the 2028 Summer Games since it emerged in January that he exchanged flirtatious emails with Epstein’s girlfriend and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell two decades ago.
Among those who called for his termination was Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, but Wasserman said Thursday he remains in frequent contact with the city’s leader as planning for the Games progresses. “I talk to the mayor weekly, if not more frequently, and our conversations are between us,” he told a press conference in Los Angeles. “They continue to be thoughtful and productive with a completely shared vision on delivering the greatest Games for the city and community.” Asked if he plans to, or had ever planned to, resign, he simply replied “No.”
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Bass in February said it was “unfortunate” the LA28 organizers were supporting Wasserman. She did not attend Thursday’s press conference and is currently seeking re-election as mayor. Following this week’s primary, Bass is expected to progress to a November runoff vote, despite criticism of her flat-footed handling of the huge fires that tore through parts of Los Angeles.
“When it comes to politics, let me just say that for LA28 and for myself and a few of the (original organizers) in the room, we’re on our fourth presidential administration,” said Wasserman. “So transitions in politics, whether they happen or not, is part of the world we live in.” He added: “The elections will be what they may, but we will continue to have a relationship …(with) whoever is in the offices we need to deal with.”
Wasserman has previously said his 2003 email exchanges with Maxwell — who is serving a 20-year sentence for trafficking underage girls for Epstein — took place before her crimes were known.
With the World Cup about to begin, co-hosted by the United States, Olympics organizers also said they had learned lessons from the soccer tournament, including on issues of security. But they insisted they were prepared for the tensions that have seen the Iran team relocate their World Cup training camp from the US to co-hosts Mexico. The US began bombing Iran alongside Israel in February, sparking war, although the hostilities were halted by an April ceasefire. The Iran team are still awaiting their US visas.
“We are preparing to host every country on Earth,” said Wasserman. “This is a unique, complex time for Iran and the World Cup. Iran was always coming to the Olympics. North Korea’s coming to the Olympics. It may be that Russia and Belarus will come back to the Olympics. So, visas for countries where we don’t have diplomatic relations has been part of our game plan since 2017. We’ve been deeply engaged with the State Department to be ahead of that.”
© 2024 AFP
