Casey Wasserman, president of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic organizing committee, is preparing to face significant challenges ahead of the Games, including cybersecurity threats and political dynamics, while navigating recent controversy surrounding his past associations.
Wasserman spoke candidly about the evolving cyber risks faced by international sporting events. Reflecting on his experience at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, where hackers disrupted internet access and tampered with timing systems, he emphasized the increasing scale and sophistication of cyberattacks. Noting incidents at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Wasserman highlighted the surge in attempted intrusions—rising from billions to tens of billions—with the added complexity posed by advances in artificial intelligence. He acknowledged uncertainty about the threats that might emerge by the time the L.A. Games commence in 2028 but expressed confidence that his committee is actively prepared to counter such attacks, while also recognizing that some aspects are beyond his direct control.
Wasserman’s leadership has not been without controversy. In early 2026, his name surfaced in documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Correspondence from 2003 revealed flirtatious emails between Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell, a key Epstein associate. Wasserman apologized, noting the exchanges predated the public exposure of Maxwell’s criminal activity. Despite calls from some clients for his resignation, he maintained his role. He subsequently sold his stake in his sports and entertainment agency, which was rebranded. Wasserman stated that the L.A. 2028 board and sponsors stood firmly behind him and insisted that no clients defected from his company as a result, though some representatives of clients later offered differing accounts about ongoing affiliations.
Focusing on the Games themselves, Wasserman pointed to recent major sporting events in Los Angeles as preparatory benchmarks, including the upcoming Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium and the summer’s World Cup. He contrasted these with the scope of the Olympics, which will host approximately 12,500 athletes from 209 countries competing across multiple venues in one city. He outlined the intense logistical complexity, describing simultaneous competitions such as swimming and basketball running daily throughout the event’s duration.
Beyond operations, Wasserman emphasized his role in managing political relationships. Reflecting on the summer incident in which former President Donald Trump intervened in a FIFA red card decision—later overturned but officially uninfluenced by Trump—Wasserman denied any inappropriate involvement. He described his efforts to engage federal officials and Congress by framing the Olympics as a unifying national endeavor transcending partisan divisions. Wasserman noted the Games offer a platform to showcase “American excitement and American commerce,” underscoring his belief that federal cooperation is essential to the event’s success.
As Los Angeles prepares to host the Olympics, Wasserman projects confidence in surmounting challenges, both known and unforeseen, while remaining steadfast amid personal and professional scrutiny.