The International Olympic Committee says it believes it will not have to deal with visa issues ahead of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles similar to immigration problems that have plagued the buildup to the World Cup.
At a meeting of the IOC executive board in Lausanne, Switzerland on Wednesday, president Kirsty Coventry insisted that a plan was in place to ensure that athletes and official attending the next Olympics in two years will have a smooth transition coming to the United States.
“We’re obviously very aware and following the World Cup as it gets closer and closer to kickoff time,” Coventry said. “I am confident that in two years we will be able to overcome a number of the challenges that the World Cup is facing right now.
Coventry was referencing the immigration hurdles that referee Omar Artan faced after he was was denied entry into the U.S. for officiating duties.
Artan, 34, who is from Somalia, arrived in Miami last Saturday and was set to meet with other match officials in the area, and was sent back home because of “vetting concerns,” according to a statement from the U.S. Border and Customs Protection.
“During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility,” the statement said. Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry.”
Despite FIFA’s ongoing working relationship with the U.S. officials, Artan’s visa issues and the late entry of Iran’s team delegation highlighted what could surface in 2028 when a significantly higher number of federations look to bring athletes and support staff to L.A.
Coventry believes that similar situations can be avoided in time for the 2028 Games and that an IOC structured task force has already been monitoring World Cup-related immigration cases.
“The task force and everyone on the ground now are learning and we can only continue to work very closely with the local organizing committee, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, at this moment to continuously give our feedback we are receiving from stakeholders,” Coventry said. It’s our job to monitor that, to advocate for that and for athletes and their entourage to be able to ensure that they are there in the LA28 Games.”
Meanwhile, IOC sports director Pierre Ducrey confirmed that the task force was actively engaging with multiple government agencies on smooth visa policies for 2028 even with the Games just over two years away.
“They have an office in Washington, there is a strong relationship they are building with the authorities, with the right agencies that will have to be involved in this process,” Ducrey said. “I think it’s also a lot about explaining who is going to be coming, the profile of the people, the role they have to play so that we can also spend a lot of time educating the agencies and make sure we are all on the same page regarding what is going to happen in 2028.”
Despite being turned away in Miami, Artan few back to Somalia but was named by UEFA as one of the lead official of the Super Cup preseason meeting in Salzburg, Austria in July and August.
UEFA said despite Artan’s young age, he has proven himself as a quality official and his appointment marks the first time and African referee will lead the a major UEFA final.
“Omar Artan is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said “Football is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination.”
