Various American and European media wonder what effect Donald Trump’s election as US president could have on Los Angeles’ chances of hosting the 2024 Olympics. For better or worse.
Some International Olympic Committee Members — who will choose the 2024 host city from among Los Angeles, Paris and Budapest, in a vote next September — on Wednesday cited some of the possible pros and cons of Trump’s role in the American bid.

As a polarizing presidential candidate, Trump’s words on Muslims, Mexicans and other issues could have offended some of the 98 IOC members from around the world who will select the host city.

“It may have,” the IOC’s longest-serving member, Dick Pound of Canada, told Associated Press.

At the same time, Pound did not rule out the possibility that Trump could help win votes if he travels to Lima, Peru, in September to pitch the Los Angeles bid in person to the IOC ahead of the secret ballot.

South African IOC member Sam Ramsamy, whose country has been described by Trump as a “very dangerous mess,” dismissed any lingering effect with 10 months left before the 2024 Olympic vote.

“He has been rude to everybody,” Ramsamy told the AP. “I don’t believe it will affect bidding in any way.”
In a statement Wednesday congratulating Trump, the Los Angeles 2024 bid committee said the Olympics can “transcend politics and can help unify our diverse communities and our world.”

Citing 88 per cent support for its bid, the committee pointed to strong bipartisan support at all levels of government.
“We look forward to working closely with President-elect Trump and his administration across the federal government” to deliver a successful Olympics, the statement said.

IOC President Thomas Bach offered a brief statement to the AP on Trump’s election.
“Let me congratulate President-elect Trump on his victory and wish him all the best for his term in office for all the people of the United States and of the world,” he said.

Swiss IOC member Rene Fasel suggested that if Trump spoke offensively during the presidential race, it was a tactic to woo voters, a tactic that worked.
“You saw his speech today and it’s already a different man,” Fasel said, citing Trump’s first public address as president-elect, which sought to be more inclusive.