LA 2024 remains upbeat about Olympic bid in face of Iranian wrestling ban
On a day when international tensions prompted Iran to ban U.S. wrestlers from a prestigious meet in that country, LA 2024 officials said they believe Olympic leaders will remain open to awarding the Summer Games to Los Angeles.
The bidding for 2024 has entered its final stage, with the International Olympic Committee scheduled to choose a host — Paris and Budapest also are in the running — in September.
Los Angeles’ campaign has encountered some resistance in the global community with the election of President Trump and, more recently, his executive order banning travel visas for citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iran.
“We are certain the merits of our bid are outstanding,” Casey Wasserman, chairman of the private LA 2024 committee, said in a teleconference Friday. “And I’m confident that IOC members will see our bid as that.”
Wasserman’s comments came hours after Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported that U.S. wrestlers would not be allowed to enter the country for the Freestyle World Cup in the city of Kermanshah later this month.
While the decision may have been politically predictable, it came as a jolt to the sports world because Iran and the U.S. have for nearly two decades enjoyed a close relationship when it comes to wrestling.
The timing was especially significant for L.A. which, along with the other candidate cities, delivered its final bid submission to IOC headquarters in Switzerland this week.
The 127-page document repeatedly mentions the power of sport to create global bonds. To some extent, it appears to distinguish the city and the state from other parts of the country.
“We’ve been talking about the diversity and the unity of Los Angeles since the day this bid started,” Wasserman said.
LA 2024 officials also insisted they have the support of the White House and can overcome the current, unsettled environment.
“We are bidding to welcome the world back to the United States,” said Gene Sykes, chief executive of the bid committee.
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