LA ‘28 Chair Casey Wasserman today said a U.S. bid to host the ’26 Games would present “myriad” issues for ‘28 organizers, throwing cold water on the hopes of several cities. "2026 is complicated,” Wasserman said. “Obviously, there’s real challenges from a timing perspective, two years before us. There are issues that collide with the (joint venture) we have with the U.S. Olympic Committee." Salt Lake City, Denver and Reno/Tahoe have declared an interest in pursuing the ’26 Games, and the USOC considers hosting the Winter Olympics a long-term goal.
USOC CEO Scott Blackmun yesterday said a ’26 bid would only proceed if L.A. leaders think it "wasn’t going to impact their ability to market and promote the 2028 Games." LA ‘28 and the USOC have already created a joint venture to sell merged Olympic rights from ’21-28. Also, sponsorship experts question whether the sponsorship market would support two Olympics and a probable ’26 FIFA World Cup in a span of roughly 30 months. The USOC BOD will discuss winter bidding on Oct. 13.
