IOC Has Set Precedent for Moving Olympic Games Amid Donald Trump Threat
The precedent set for moving the Olympics has been revealed amid Donald Trump's threat to move the Games and the World Cup next year if he sees fit.
The United States will host 78 games in the showpiece which they will stage alongside Mexico and Canada, including the final at MetLife Stadium.
It follows on from the US hosting the Club World Cup won by Chelsea in the summer of 2025, and precedes the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
President Trump was front and centre at the Club World Cup final and has a strong relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
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But on two occasions in recent times, the 79-year-old has threatened to take World Cup games away from host cities.
His threats in September focused on Seattle and San Francisco following recent demonstrations, as he said, "If any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup ... because they’re playing in so many cities, we won’t allow it. We’ll move it around a little bit. But I hope that’s not going to happen.”
Trump said the cities are "run by radical left lunatics and that don’t know what they’re doing" and recently turned his attention to Boston.
On Tuesday, Trump was asked about Boston in a press event following a "street takeover” where police officers were attacked and a police car was set alight.
He was also asked if he would work with Michelle Wu, the Democratic mayor of Boston, but proceeded to criticise her.
"We could take them away,” Trump said in regards to possible moving of World Cup games.
“Their mayor is not good … She’s radical left, and they’re taking over parts of Boston. That’s a pretty big statement, right?”
He added: “If someone is doing a bad job, and I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni [Infantino], the head of Fifa, who is phenomenal, and say let’s move it to another location.
“And he would do that. He wouldn’t love to do it, but he’d do it. Very easily, he’d do it.”
Wu has responded by stressing that FIFA's host cities are "locked down by contract so that no single person, even if they live in the White House currently, can undo it".
Indeed, while there is public government involvement, is is technically a private business deal that Trump does not have the authority to get involved with.
Trump also touched on the Olympics, which takes place in Los Angeles in 2028. LA were awarded the Olympics in 2017 and need to raise $7 billion for the event, which is set to bring 15 million visitors.
But when City of Angels was ravaged by wildfires earlier this year, there were calls for Trump to move the Games elsewhere in the US - though it would not be his decision alone as he would have to consult the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“If I thought LA was not going to be prepared properly, I would move it to another location if I had to,” Trump explained.
“On that one I’d probably have to get a different kind of a permission, but we would do that.”
In August, Trump signed an executive order to create a White House taskforce who will focus on smoothing out any issues related to the Games, including security, visas for athletes and coaches and transportation.
Has the Olympics ever been moved?
In the past the Olympics have been cancelled due to wars, while the Tokyo 2020 showpiece was postponed a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But you have to go back to 1908 for the last time host cities changed. Rome were slated to host the event but the eruption of Mount Vesuvius led to it being moved to London
LA is also a World Cup host city, while the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood is pencilled in for the Super Bowl in 2027.
Topics: Olympics, Donald Trump
Josh Lawless