LA 2028 working to avoid repeat of World Cup visa issues in US: IOC chief
Los Angeles Olympics organisers are working closely with U.S. authorities to ensure smooth entry procedures and avoid the visa complications that affected several stakeholders at the FIFA World Cup, IOC president Kirsty Coventry said on Wednesday.
Los Angeles 2028 organisers are working closely with authorities to avoid a repeat of the visa complications and entry denials that have already affected stakeholders at the FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, IOC president Kirsty Coventry said on Wednesday.
Speaking in Lausanne after a meeting of the IOC Executive Board, Coventry said the effort was aimed at ensuring the Olympic Games do not encounter the same access issues that have emerged around another major sporting event being staged in the country.
The concern is far from hypothetical. Visa-related problems have already surfaced ahead of the World Cup, which begins on Thursday across the United States, Canada and Mexico. At the same Lausanne meeting, the IOC Executive Board also approved a proposal to add ski mountaineering to the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps while deciding against the inclusion of crossover sports such as cyclocross for now.
"I am confident that in two years we will be able to overcome a number of the challenges that the World Cup is facing right now. But I think that also takes collaboration and learning," Coventry said.
IOC sports director Pierre Ducrey said dedicated teams within the Los Angeles organising committee were already working on the issue.
"They have an office in Washington, there is a strong relationship they are building with the authorities, with the right agencies that will have to be involved in this process," Ducrey said.
He added that part of the effort involved giving government agencies a clearer understanding of who would be traveling to the Games and the roles they would play.
"I think it's also a lot about explaining who is going to be coming, the profile of the people, the role they have to play so that we can also spend a lot of time educating the agencies and make sure we are all on the same page regarding what is going to happen in 2028."
The World Cup has already provided some high-profile examples of the challenges organisers are seeking to avoid. Iran was forced to move its training base from Arizona to Mexico and will only be allowed to enter the United States a day before each of its three group-stage matches. A Somali referee was also denied entry to the United States just days before the tournament.
Away from the visa discussion, the IOC Executive Board approved a proposal to add ski mountaineering to the programme for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. The sport made its Olympic debut at the Milano Cortina Winter Games earlier this year.
"The French Alps organising committee proposed... to add ski mountaineering to the 2030 Winter Olympic programme edition. The executive board has decided to approve this and will put that forward to our session in two weeks," Coventry said.
The board also decided not to include crossover sports such as cyclocross at the 2030 Games, although it left the door open for future consideration.
"We decided, very clear, for the upcoming Winter Olympics that we would like to keep the identity of winter sports of snow and ice... no crossover at the moment. It could be in the future," said Karl Stoss, chair of the Olympic programme working group.
The IOC's 146th Session will be held in Lausanne on June 24 and 25, where members are expected to formally consider the ski mountaineering proposal. Discussions on ensuring smooth access and visa processes for Los Angeles 2028 are also expected to continue as preparations for the Games gather pace.
Los Angeles 2028 organisers are working closely with authorities to avoid a repeat of the visa complications and entry denials that have already affected stakeholders at the FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, IOC president Kirsty Coventry said on Wednesday.
Speaking in Lausanne after a meeting of the IOC Executive Board, Coventry said the effort was aimed at ensuring the Olympic Games do not encounter the same access issues that have emerged around another major sporting event being staged in the country.
The concern is far from hypothetical. Visa-related problems have already surfaced ahead of the World Cup, which begins on Thursday across the United States, Canada and Mexico. At the same Lausanne meeting, the IOC Executive Board also approved a proposal to add ski mountaineering to the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps while deciding against the inclusion of crossover sports such as cyclocross for now.
"I am confident that in two years we will be able to overcome a number of the challenges that the World Cup is facing right now. But I think that also takes collaboration and learning," Coventry said.
IOC sports director Pierre Ducrey said dedicated teams within the Los Angeles organising committee were already working on the issue.
"They have an office in Washington, there is a strong relationship they are building with the authorities, with the right agencies that will have to be involved in this process," Ducrey said.
He added that part of the effort involved giving government agencies a clearer understanding of who would be traveling to the Games and the roles they would play.
"I think it's also a lot about explaining who is going to be coming, the profile of the people, the role they have to play so that we can also spend a lot of time educating the agencies and make sure we are all on the same page regarding what is going to happen in 2028."
The World Cup has already provided some high-profile examples of the challenges organisers are seeking to avoid. Iran was forced to move its training base from Arizona to Mexico and will only be allowed to enter the United States a day before each of its three group-stage matches. A Somali referee was also denied entry to the United States just days before the tournament.
Away from the visa discussion, the IOC Executive Board approved a proposal to add ski mountaineering to the programme for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. The sport made its Olympic debut at the Milano Cortina Winter Games earlier this year.
"The French Alps organising committee proposed... to add ski mountaineering to the 2030 Winter Olympic programme edition. The executive board has decided to approve this and will put that forward to our session in two weeks," Coventry said.
The board also decided not to include crossover sports such as cyclocross at the 2030 Games, although it left the door open for future consideration.
"We decided, very clear, for the upcoming Winter Olympics that we would like to keep the identity of winter sports of snow and ice... no crossover at the moment. It could be in the future," said Karl Stoss, chair of the Olympic programme working group.
The IOC's 146th Session will be held in Lausanne on June 24 and 25, where members are expected to formally consider the ski mountaineering proposal. Discussions on ensuring smooth access and visa processes for Los Angeles 2028 are also expected to continue as preparations for the Games gather pace.
