LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover voices strong support for embattled chair Casey Wasserman
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Chairman of the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Casey Wasserman (right) with Reynold Hoover, chief executive officer of the 2028 Summer Olympics during the 145th IOC Session.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles 2028 chief executive Reynold Hoover on Feb 23 gave his full backing to chair Casey Wasserman, saying his support remains unwavering, despite increased scrutiny following the most recent release of US Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The comments were Hoover’s first on the matter since Wasserman’s name appeared in the documents published in January and his first since the mayor of Los Angeles called on him to step down.
The documents featured flirty e-mail exchanges from more than two decades ago between Wasserman and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, a close Epstein associate.
“The board has taken their position – they support him and I support him,” said Hoover, speaking a day after the close of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Earlier in February, the LA28 board reaffirmed its support for Wasserman following a review by outside counsel, which concluded his past association with Maxwell and the late convicted sex offender Epstein did not go beyond what had already been publicly documented.
Hoover pointed to the organisation’s commercial performance – including record domestic sponsorship revenue and strong early ticket interest – as evidence of stability under its current leadership.
“We’ve got a great leadership team here at LA28,” he said. “Just look at the results.”
Those results include the privately funded Olympic Games having exceeded US$2 billion (S$2.53 billion) in commercial sponsorship revenue, Hoover said, bringing LA28 80 per cent of the way towards its overall goal of US$2.5 billion with more than two years still to go until the opening ceremony.
“We’ve exceeded all expectations, we’ve broken all Olympic records by any measure,” he added.
“If that doesn’t give people confidence, I don’t know what will.”
Despite the controversy around Wasserman, Hoover said there has been no talk about finding a replacement, no disruption to day-to-day business and no concerns voiced by sponsors or potential sponsors.
“I was at a meeting in Dallas with a potential sponsor and it wasn’t even raised,” he said, adding that LA28 will soon announce another top-level sponsor to join a list that includes Delta Air Lines, Honda, Google, Starbucks, Comcast, Intuit and management-consulting firm Korn Ferry.
“No one is asking about it.”
As for his “very close” relationship with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, he said he was “a little surprised” when she said last week that Wasserman should step down as chair.
“Look, that’s her opinion. But she also said that the LA28 board has taken a position and is supporting Casey, so there’s nothing more to really be said on it,” he said.
Hoover’s remarks are the first by an LA28 official since Wasserman put out a statement in January saying he regretted his correspondence with Maxwell, which he said took place “long before her horrific crimes came to light”.
He also said he never had a personal or business relationship with Epstein.
Wasserman, 51, has spent more than a decade working to bring the Games back to Southern California and Hoover said they are focused on delivering what he said will be the largest and greatest Summer Games in history.
“This is going to be an incredible, incredible Games and people need to start focusing on that aspect of it, and let’s move on,” Hoover said. REUTERS
