The fires that have devastated parts of Los Angeles in recent days they doubt the economic capacity of the city to organize the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in complete safety in a region plagued by natural disasters.
Until now, none of the 80 Olympic venues announceds has been directly affected by the fires that have claimed at least 24 lives and destroyed more than 12,000 buildings since Tuesday. He Riviera Country Club golf course It was saved, despite being located in the devastated western district of Pacific Palisades. He UCLA campuswhich will serve as the Olympic Village, was almost deserted on Monday, given its proximity to the Palisades fire, which is still active, and some experts have raised the challenge of organizing the world’s largest event in a region regularly devastated by fires.
He Governor of California, Gavin Newsomassured NBC that preparations for the 2028 Games and the 2026 Soccer World Cup, eight of whose matches are scheduled in Los Angeles, are very advanced. For Newsom, the proliferation of major sporting events in Los Angeles in the coming years (Club World Cup 2025, NBA All-Star Game 2026, Superbowl 2027) should be seen as an opportunity: “In my humble opinion, and without being too naive or optimistic, this reinforces the need to work quickly and cooperate,” he says.
“Cancellation” requests
Far-right figures, such as debater Charlie Kirk, have called for the “cancellation” of the Games in Los Angeles, Democratic stronghold. I hope that by the time the Games arrive, the Altadena and Palisades neighborhoods will have been rebuilt,” Shawn Sedlacek, an events professional who has converted one of his buildings into a donation center for victims of the disaster, told AFP. I don’t think the situation forces us to stop organizing an event of this type. “We will be prepared, and to be ready we need support now more than ever, we need jobs to be created, we need to look towards the Games,” he stated.
Some experts have raised the challenge of organizing the largest world event in a region regularly ravaged by fires. “The situation is serious and, given the developments related to global warming, one wonders whether this situation could be repeated, possibly during the Games,” said Simon Chadwick, professor of sports economics and geopolitics at the Skema business school in Paris. to the British newspaper ‘The iPaper’.
