The 2024 Summer Olympics concluded in Paris with an unforgettable broadcast handover to Los Angeles, the next host city. With its sandy beach, palm palms, blue water, and beautiful skies, the setting for Billie Eilish and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ performance was stereotypically California.
However, in recent days, that idyllic image has been shattered as areas of Los Angeles have been consumed by fire, turning houses and businesses around the expansive city into burning piles of ash and debris, particularly in the Pacific Palisades and the neighborhood of Altadena.
The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles are unlikely to be moved, since the fires haven’t yet harmed any of the major venues, stadiums, or athlete housing complexes. However, the next Games have been clouded by the fires.
Rebuilding and recovering in time to accommodate about 15 million people for the 17-day sporting event is a difficult assignment for the city and the organizers who successfully got the Games to the West Coast.
The City of Angels will be back up and running in time for the celebrations, according to at least one senior official. The chairman of LA28, the private organization that organized and raised money for the Games, Casey Wasserman, praised the city’s resilience in the face of challenges.
In a statement, Wasserman claimed that the tenacity and resolve of Los Angeles are what make the city unique. When Los Angeles welcomes the world in 2028, our spirit will be more radiant than ever before because of the resilience of our communities and our solidarity during difficult times.
“Assuring our community has the resources it needs and that our heroic first responders are fully supported in keeping people safe is our top priority,” Wasserman continued.
A spokesperson for Mayor Karen Bass did not immediately respond to a question about how the wildfires would impact Games preparations, but she did highlight her administration’s dedication to managing the situation.
Bass was totally committed to defending property and keeping Angelenos safe, according to Gabby Maarse. She is working on an all-of-the-above recovery strategy and obtaining the federal, state, and local resources required to keep fighting these fires.
In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, California Governor Gavin Newsom stated that he hopes to revitalize the areas of Los Angeles devastated by this catastrophe by implementing a Marshall Plan for the twenty-first century.
My modest position—and it’s not just being foolishly optimistic—only serves to emphasize how important it is to move swiftly while maintaining a cooperative and cooperative atmosphere, he remarked.
Additionally, Newsom stated that the crisis presents a chance for the next administration to assist.
Donald Trump, the president of the United States, deserves credit for helping to bring the Olympics to America, specifically to Los Angeles. For that, we are grateful to him. According to Newsom, this is his chance to shine, as well as the chance for this nation, California, and this community to shine.
Southern California will host the 2028 Games, which will reach as far south as Temecula, which is roughly 90 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, and as far east as Oklahoma City, which is roughly 1,300 miles distant and will host softball and canoe slalom.
Swimming is expected to be a show-stopping sport at SoFi Stadium, home of the Rams and Chargers in adjacent Inglewood, while track and field and the opening ceremony are scheduled for the historic L.A. Memorial Coliseum.
In the upcoming years, private companies and households attempting to rebuild may compete with LA28 organizers and local officials for building resources. Not to mention the temporary infrastructure needed for the Games, contractors and supplies will probably be stretched to the breaking point.
To find another Olympic event that was altered due to a natural disaster, you would need to travel back more than a century. The author of a 2021 book on Olympic history, Jeremy Fuchs, cited one noteworthy instance from about 120 years ago. Rome was supposed to host the Summer Olympics in 1908. However, Italian finances were redirected to aid in Rome’s recovery following the catastrophic and destructive eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906.
Rome was given another chance in the summer of 1960, but the 1908 Games were rescheduled to London.
The arrival of competitors in London in late July 1948, little over three years after the end of World War II, is one example of how the Games have advanced in the wake of a recent tragedy.
Due to rationing and other wartime limitations, the 1948 Olympics were dubbed the Austerity Games.
“Despite the fire damage, I highly doubt that L.A. 2028 will be comparable to the war-diminished 1920 and 1948 Games,” said John Hoberman, a professor of cultural history with a focus on sports at the University of Texas.
Rose Bowl in Pasadena and the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, two local locations used for soccer and golf in 2028, have so far been perilously close to the flames in Los Angeles.
Hoberman stated that, barring other once-in-a-lifetime catastrophic disasters, he could not imagine the International Olympic Committee canceling the games from Los Angeles.
He stated that it would take another disaster for the IOC to cancel the games, which is a very political move anyhow.
IOC President Thomas Bach expressed the organization’s respect for the arduous efforts of the security forces and firefighters, as well as its entire sympathy with the people of Los Angeles, in a post on Xon Sunday.
He continued by saying that the safety of people and property, as well as the battle against fires, must be the primary priorities at the moment. Additionally, we now know that Gary Hall Jr., a legendary Olympian, lost his medals in the fire. He will receive replicas from the IOC.
NBC Sports and NBC Olympics are owned by NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News. Through 2032, all Summer and Winter Games will be televised in the United States by NBC Olympics.