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The International Olympic Committee insists it is \u201cconfident\u201d that the LA Games in 2028 will not face the same immigration issues that have marred the buildup to the World Cup \u2013 including Africa\u2019s top referee, Omar Artan, from Somalia being refused entry by US officials<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite Fifa\u2019s close relationship with the Trump administration, it was also unable to stop Iran being moved from a training camp in Arizona to Mexico and some of its officials being denied entry visas.<\/p>\n On Wednesday Volker Turk, the high commissioner for human rights at the United Nations, also called for a \u201cmassive rethink\u201d of immigration policies especially in the United States around the World Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kirsty Coventry, the IOC president, told reporters that a dedicated taskforce was working closely with the US Olympic Committee to smooth out the issues.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, we are following everything that\u2019s happening daily,\u201d said Coventry. \u201cI 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThe taskforce and everyone on the ground now are learning and then it\u2019s our job to continue to monitor that and to advocate for athletes and their entourages to be able to ensure that they are there in the LA 28 Games.\u201d<\/p>\n Coventry also acknowledged that there had been widespread criticism of her belief that athletes should not be paid for competing at the Olympics \u2013 and hinted that the IOC were looking at better ways to help athletes without giving them prize or appearance money.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we were not aware of it, we\u2019d be hiding our heads under a pillow,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it\u2019s nothing new that I don\u2019t agree with prize money at the Olympic Games<\/a>. There\u2019s prize money at continental games, at international federation games, at World Cups. I almost want to go back to being an athlete so that I could have the same possibilities that they have today.<\/p>\n \u201cBut at the Olympic Games I feel that we have a broader responsibility to try and find ways to directly support every Olympic athlete that comes to the Games, and I have been asking the teams here internally: how do we do that? How do we increase Olympic solidarity scholarships? How do we find other innovative ways?<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been doing a lot of work since the day I took office. I think we have a number of really cool, exciting commitments that you\u2019re all going to get to see. But for me the principle will be \u2018how do we try to help every Olympic athlete?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n