Casey Wasserman apparently had connections to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, © APA/afp / FREDERIC J. BROWN

Sports also implicated: Olympic chief appears in Epstein Files

An exchange of emails between the head of the organizing committee for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the former assistant of the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has surfaced in the investigation files for the case.

February 01, 2026

From: dpa/sn

Casey Wasserman (51) said in a statement: “I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell.” This correspondence “took place long before her horrific crimes became public.” Maxwell was sentenced in 2021 to 20 years in prison for, among other things, the abuse of minors.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry expressed her sadness at the reports about LA chief organizer Wasserman just days before the opening ceremony of the Winter Games in Italy. "Anything that distracts from these Games is sad," the president of the International Olympic Committee said in Milan.

Casey Wasserman is organizing the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Right: US President Donald Trump. © APA/afp / BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI

Wasserman explained that he had flown on Epstein's plane in 2002 as part of a Clinton Foundation delegation on a humanitarian trip. "But I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein," he emphasized. "I am very sorry to be associated with either of them in any way." Wasserman has led the Los Angeles Olympic project since the bidding phase and is chairman of the organizing committee.

No conversation with the IOC president so far.

The US Department of Justice released more than three million pages of documents, as well as thousands of videos and photos, on Friday evening. The mere mention or depiction of someone in the Epstein files is not evidence of wrongdoing.

IOC chief Kirsty Coventry. © APA/afp / DANIELE MASCOLO

Wasserman is the founder of a global sports, music, and entertainment agency. His companies represent, among others, top international athletes, actors, and musicians. IOC President Coventry stated that she had not yet spoken personally with Wasserman about the recent revelations. She added that there was nothing to add to his statement.

In the past, the IOC has learned that headlines often emerge before the start of the Olympic Games. But once the Games have opened and the athletes begin their competitions, "the world remembers the magic and spirit that the Games possess," Coventry said.