(ATR) U.S. President Donald Trump gets his first briefing on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles from leaders of the organizing committee.
The briefing takes place at the Montage Beverly Hills shortly after 4 PM Pacific time.
Los Angeles 2028 would not reveal the delegation taking part in the meeting, only that it would include "LA 2028 leadership as well as USOPC leadership".
Presumably that would mean LA chair Casey Wasserman plus vice chair Janet Evans. From the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee chair Susanne Lyons and CEO Sarah Hirshland would seem to be the obvious participants.
One key figure definitely not attending is LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, according to a spokesman. Whether political differences might be the reason for the mayor’s absence is speculation. But Garcetti is one of the leading figures in the Democratic Party. Trump and Garcetti are at odds over numerous issues, including LA's sanctuary city policy for immigrants.
Wasserman is also a well-known fundraiser for Democratic candidates, including Hillary Clinton in her campaign against Trump in 2016.
An agenda for the meeting, expected to be brief, was not disclosed. But an LA 28 spokeswoman notes that the organizing committee needs to brief the White House on plans for the games which originally were targeted for 2024. In 2018, the IOC chose to award at the same time 2024 to Paris and 2028 to Los Angeles.
Principal among the needs of the organizing committee from the federal government is an agreement to provide support for security and entry of athletes and officials into the United States ahead of the Olympics.
Documents on record with the IOC regarding Los Angeles and the federal government apparently refer to 2024 and need updating to reflect the commitment to 2028.A letter from Mr. Trump pledging support for the Olympics in LA was included in the bid papers filed with the IOC two years ago.
The official for LA 2028 says it may be up to the White House to disclose any details from the meeting.
Mr. Trump is in Los Angeles for fundraising, followed by similar events in Arizona and Colorado Springs, headquarters city for the USOPC.
Reported by Ed Hula.