Chair of 2028 Olympics Visits Israel, Says Security of Athletes Will Be His ‘No. 1 Concern’

Casey Wasserman, the Jewish-American chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee, visited Israel for the first time ever this week and spoke about security measures being taken for the Olympic Games in two years.

Wasserman, who is also the CEO of a sports and entertainment agency he founded in 2002, arrived in Israel for a three-day visit as the guest of honor of the Olympic Committee of Israel. He concluded his trip on Thursday by speaking at the annual year-end ceremony for Israel’s Olympic Committee in Tel Aviv.

On stage, Wasserman said security, particularly for the Israeli delegation but also all Olympic athletes, is his “number one concern.” Olympic organizers are partnering with the US federal government on security and there will be a “very meaningful present show of force” at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Wasserman noted.

“We’re very focused on making sure every athlete has a safe and shared experience,” Wasserman said. “I don’t want the Israeli athletes to feel like they have a different experience because of the security situation; they should feel equally safe doing the same thing as everybody else.”

The 2028 Olympic chair also said he has “no interest or patience” to listen to people who want to pressure him to boycott Israel or keep Israeli athletes out of international events, like the Olympics. “This is not a topic that anyone should be talking about,” he explained. “Moments like this is when you learn a lot about people’s character. And if you believe in this [Olympic] movement, you believe in the opportunity for everyone to compete. Not ‘everyone, but …’ That’s not an option [and] that is a standard that we need to hold ourselves to.”

Wasserman met on Thursday in Jerusalem with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog and also had a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli premier thanked Wasserman for his support for Israel, and the meeting was also attended by Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar and Olympic Committee of Israel Chairperson Yael Arad.

On Wednesday, Wasserman visited Gaza-border communities in southern Israel to see areas impacted by the deadly Hamas-led terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Wasserman met with families and survivors of the Oct. 7 massacre and heard firsthand testimonies of the violence that unfolded two years ago. He visited Kibbutz Be’eri, which was one of the Israeli communities hit the hardest during the Oct. 7 massacre, as well as other destroyed neighborhoods.

Wasserman said at the year-end ceremony for Israel’s Olympic Committee that the experience was “emotional and overwhelming … it’s been a life-changing two or three days here.”

Wasserman has called himself a “proud Jewish-American” and publicly voiced support for Israel shortly after the Oct. 7 attack in 2023. “I unequivocally stand in solidarity with Israel but let me be clear I also stand with the innocent civilians in Gaza who did not choose this war,” he said at an International Olympic Committee session in Mumbai.