US Olympic Committee Voices Concern Over LA28 Leader's Maxwell Connections
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has formally communicated its apprehension regarding Los Angeles Olympic leader Casey Wasserman to the organizing committee's board, stating it is "closely monitoring the impact on our community" following recent revelations about his connections to Ghislaine Maxwell.
Historic Emails Revealed in Epstein Documents
Mr Wasserman placed his talent agency up for sale in February, shortly after the release of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. These included flirtatious emails between Mr Wasserman and Epstein's confidante, Ghislaine Maxwell, dating back more than two decades. The correspondence was made public earlier this year as part of the extensive Epstein files disclosure.
USOPC chair Gene Sykes confirmed the federation's board discussed the matter at its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, stating unequivocally, "we take the concern seriously." Despite these concerns, there has been no immediate move to remove Mr Wasserman from his pivotal role in leading the Olympic effort, with decisions about his future resting exclusively with the LA board rather than the USOPC.
LA Committee's Previous Investigation
LA organizers declined to comment specifically about the USOPC meeting. The LA committee previously conducted its own investigation into Mr Wasserman's relationship with Maxwell, concluding that the relationship "did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented" in the Epstein files. They determined he "should continue to lead LA28 and deliver a safe and successful Games."
In 2021, Maxwell was convicted on five counts of sex trafficking and abuse of minors and is currently serving a twenty-year prison sentence. Epstein took his own life in a New York jail cell in August 2019, just one month after being indicted on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Organizational Overlap and Influence
While the LA board maintains ultimate decision-making authority, the USOPC's opinion would likely carry significant weight in any discussion due to organizational crossover. USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and members David Haggerty and Anita DeFrantz all hold positions on the LA board, creating natural channels for influence.
"We're stewards of the Olympic and Paralympic movement in the United States, and we're committed to upholding and consistently demonstrating its values," Mr Sykes emphasized. He then shifted focus to discussing the progress LA has made in generating public support and corporate interest, describing these developments as "very encouraging."
"The ongoing committee is executing effectively and we're very happy to work with them," Mr Sykes added, striking a balance between expressing concern and maintaining collaborative relationships.
Ticket Pricing Controversy Emerges Separately
In a separate development, LA28 ticket prices have raised eyebrows among potential attendees. Tickets for the 2028 Olympics went on sale earlier this month, and though organizers have promoted more than one million tickets available for twenty-eight dollars, none were available at that price point on the official website Wednesday.
The cheapest tickets remaining among the first major release—for which registered individuals receive dedicated time slots to purchase up to twelve seats—were approximately one hundred seventy dollars for field hockey preliminaries. The most affordable tickets for an evening of medal events during track and field competitions reached eleven hundred dollars.
Organizers Defend Pricing Strategy
In an interview last week with The Associated Press, LA executive Allison Katz-Mayfield acknowledged the wide pricing range and assured that cheaper tickets would be released later in the sales process. "It goes back to our ethos that we want to ensure there's something for everyone," she explained.
"Whether it's someone who just wants to get in the door and experience the Games or someone who has a very specific sport or session and they want to sit in the absolute best seat, we tried to approach our inventory mix to replicate that and replicate what we saw in terms of demand from the research we did," Katz-Mayfield elaborated, defending the committee's comprehensive approach to ticket distribution.
