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≡ AN LA28 BOYCOTT? NO! ≡
At the Monday meeting of the Los Angeles City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson worried out loud about a possible boycott of the Games by countries – especially in Europe – that would refuse to compete in opposition to the Trump Administration.
Following the shooting of an armed protestor in Minneapolis on Saturday (24th) by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, protests have spread nationally and notice has been taken internationally. Said Harris-Dawson:
“It’s hard to miss it. The situation with the national government in this country makes human rights an even more important question than it would ordinarily be. …
“I noticed at least three reports of countries discussing in a formal way – I mean, big countries like Germany, France – discussing boycotting FIFA [2026 World Cup], because of the actions of the U.S. around Greenland or whatever, so we have a national government who’s setting the stage for an environment where we can have a serious boycott.
“We had a boycott in ‘84 in L.A., we know it’s possible to overcome that. But I’m just wondering, is that part of what the [International Olympic Committee] has preparations for, how do you prepare for that, given people are making real threats and holding governmental hearings about it in other parts of the world?”
LA28 Chief Operating Officer John Harper explained, “We’ve had no discussions with the IOC, no indications that that is going to be a concern here, but obviously, we’ll continue to work with the IOC and the [International Paralympic Committee] as they drive towards 2028. But all indications are that we’re looking forward to welcoming the world, all 206 nations of all the NOCs represented in 2028.”
But Harris-Dawson went further:
“This Council has, as its charge, the well-being of the City of Los Angeles, so we’ll do that piece, but another piece of it that I just offer to you, is damage to the Olympic Movement overall, which is all of our inheritance, everybody’s in the world . And I certainly don’t want to be the city and the country that is at the center of doing serious damage to that. …
“It’s not like we haven’t seen this before. We never talk about the boycott of ‘84, but there was a significant boycott in 1984, so it doesn’t mean that you can’t figure it out, but it also means you have to face it and face it directly.”
Harris-Dawson is right to be concerned, but here’s what he should know:
● 1. It’s 2028, not 1984.
● 2. There will be no 1980- or 1984-style boycott in 2028.
● 3. City worries should be elsewhere.
Starting with the history, the one truth about the Olympic Games is that only a raging world war can stop the celebrations. The 1916 Games was wiped out by World War I and the 1940 and 1944 Games were lost to World War II. Otherwise, they’re on.
And as for civic strife, boycotts and the Games, consider:
● 1968: The 2 October confrontation by the Mexican army against protesters in Mexico City – 10 days before the opening ceremony – resulted in the “Tlatelolco massacre” in which an estimated 300 or more died. The Games went on.
● 1972: The Olympic Movement was shattered by the capture at the Olympic Village and later killing of 11 members of the Israeli delegation by Palestinian terrorists on 5 September. There were widespread calls from the Games to be scrapped; the Games went on.
● 1976: The Montreal Games were hamstrung by construction delays and overruns to the tune of C$1 billion and there was a boycott of 29 mostly African countries over New Zealand’s hosting of the South African rugby team earlier in the year. The Games went on.
● 1980: In response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, U.S. President Jimmy Carter organized a boycott by 66 countries of the Moscow Games. Only 80 National Olympic Committees attended, but the Games went on.
● 1984: In response to the U.S. boycott in 1980, the Soviet bloc – 14 nations – boycotted the L.A. Games and four other countries declined to come for unrelated reasons. The Games went on with a then-record 140 nations attending and changed the Olympic Movement for the better.
During the IOC Presidency of Spain’s Juan Antonio Samaranch, substantial changes were made to avoid such boycotts in the future and these have been carried on to today. But that does not mean there have not been calls for boycotts of various Games since 1984.
Boycotts were demanded by various groups of the 2008 Games in Beijing, China in view of Chinese human rights policies, but the Games went on and were a successful showcase for China. There were outcries against Rio de Janeiro (BRA) in 2016 over human-rights abuses, but the success of that Games was marred by a lack of money, people and planning. Yet, they went on.
Tokyo managed the postponed Games in 2021 – somehow – during the Covid pandemic despite local demands for cancellation and hosted successfully, and the Paris 2024 Games were, in a word, spectacular.
The Games went on.
And they will go on in 2028.
A major difference between the 1976-80-84 period and today is a major change to the Olympic Charter, which governs the Olympic Movement. Language was added which now REQUIRES that National Olympic Committees attend the Games, or will be suspended by the IOC and ineligible for any future IOC funding during such a suspension. This is a serious issue for many National Olympic Committees and a stern incentive to get them to the Games, regardless of what they may think of the host country or city.
Further, the IOC’s immediate past President and now Honorary President Thomas Bach (GER) hammered the importance of the Olympic Movement’s political neutrality during his 12-year term, and remains at the disposal of current President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) in case any of the NOCs – or their governments – need to be reminded.
As Bach and others have said over and over: the only people hurt by boycotts are the athletes.
As for the anger of L.A. City Council members over the Trump Administration, it is also true that Trump’s Executive Orders on entry visas specifically carve out exemptions for – now – not just Olympic and Paralympic athletes and officials, but those attached to many large sporting events. So, the athletes and teams are going to be able to get into the U.S. and to L.A. to compete.
Their fans – especially if from certain countries restricted from U.S. entry – are a different issue.
¶
Harris-Dawson mentioned the chatter around boycotting the FIFA World Cup coming to the U.S. (and Canada and Mexico) in June, but the chances of a government removing its national team from the event are tiny. The politicians responsible will incur the wrath of their populations for keeping their team from playing on the world’s biggest single-sport stage.
Former FIFA head Sepp Blatter (SUI) sided with a much more subtle and important concept, of essentially an economic boycott of the World Cup matches in the U.S. by fans.
Swiss anti-corruption attorney Mark Pieth, who helped with FIFA’s reform efforts after Blatter left in 2015, told the Swiss paper Der Bund:
“If we consider everything we’ve discussed, there’s only one piece of advice for fans: Stay away from the USA! You’ll see it better on TV anyway. And upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t please the officials, they’ll be put straight on the next flight home. If they’re lucky.”
Blatter posted on X: “I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup.”
The City of Los Angeles’ financial reward for the 2028 Olympic Games will come from visitor spending and especially out-of-town spending for accommodations, food, transportation, shopping and entertainment beyond the competitions. If people don’t come, they won’t spend.
LA28 will sell its tickets; the 1.5 million first-day registrations for its ticket lottery demonstrates clear interest and perhaps four million tickets at $100 or less will ensure most people have options to see Olympic competitions.
But Los Angeles, which has offered no public plan for its activities related to the Games, needs Olympic and Paralympic visitors. That is what should be concerning Harris-Dawson and his fellow Council members.
The Paris tourism bureau’s follow-up report on the 2024 showed their Games brought about 420,000 extra overnight stayers across the 17 days of the Olympic Games. Not millions, but hundreds of thousands, up about (only?) 16% from the year prior.
That’s the metric that L.A. needs to focus on if it wants to “profit” from the 2028 Games, in terms of jobs and tax revenues. And where’s the plan for that?
Because the Games will go on.
Rich Perelman
Editor
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