LOS ANGELES (news agencies) — The devastation wrought by the deadly wildfires that ravaged sections of Los Angeles have left an indelible imprint on the region’s landscape and psyche.
The runup to the city hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, in addition to World Cup matches in 2026 and a Super Bowl in ’27, will coincide with massive rebuilding of housing and infrastructure. That seems cruelly ironic after Los Angeles organizers sold the Games as a no-build event.
None of the Olympic venues have been damaged by the still-burning fires that tore through Pacific Palisades on the city’s westside and Altadena, an unincorporated community above Pasadena in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.
The Palisades fire came close to Riviera Country Club, which will host Olympic golf and was inside the evacuation zone. UCLA, which will house athletes, was just outside the zone.
“While our focus remains on healing and rebuilding, there is no reason to believe that the fires will adversely impact or delay preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which are already well underway,” Paul Kerkorian, executive director of the city’s new Office of Major Events, said in a statement.
The NFL, NBA and college basketball relocated or postponed games in the days after the fires began on Jan. 7.
Neither of the two major fires has been contained and thousands remain evacuated.
“We are in full solidarity with the citizens of Los Angeles and full of admiration for the tireless work of the firefighters and the security forces,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement. “Currently the full focus must be on the fight against the fires and the protection of the people and property.”
Los Angeles was awarded the 2028 Olympics for a third time in 2017, with the IOC praising organizers’ bid for using existing and temporary venues rather than constructing new stadiums and sports facilities specifically for the Games, as well as its commitment to sustainability and fiscal responsibility.
Yet the Games were still expected to cost roughly $6.9 billion for investments like upgraded transportation, revamped facilities and improvements to the city’s infrastructure with a goal of benefitting residents long after the Olympic flame is extinguished. Three major projects involve renovating the city’s airport and expanding the Metro transportation system and downtown convention center.
No one counted on a large-scale disaster occurring in the nation’s second-largest city when those projects were approved.
“What’s happened in a number of recent Olympics is something else comes along that entirely changes what the Games are all about,” said Dr. Matthew Brown, a University of Utah political science professor who has written extensively about the Olympics.
Tokyo postponed the 2020 Summer Games until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and then held them without fans in attendance. Beijing went ahead with the 2022 Winter Games under strict pandemic restrictions with limited spectators allowed.
“Something like wildfires can really change the priorities of lots of cities in that region and potentially the state and federal government and what they fund and when they want to fund it,” Brown said.
LA28 president and chairman Casey Wasserman met with President-elect Donald Trump in Florida on Wednesday night to shore up backing.
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